If the publication you are proofing for uses the serial comma, and an essay youre proofing includes a quotation from a biography that does not use a serial comma, is it permissible to silently add serial commas for readability the relevant rule in the chicago manual of style. However, the final commathe one that comes before the and is optional. Every resource that ive encountered states that the serial comma is a style issue, not a grammar issue. Mignon fogartybetter known as grammar girlbelieves. Chicago, being twice as long as ap, has twice as much to say on this subject and offers several more variations of proper serialcomma usage on which the ap is mum 6. You may have learned that the comma before the and is unnecessary, which is fine if youre in control of things. Comma serial its up to you whether to use a serial comma the comma before the final and in a list of items. Thus, for example, the associated press stylebook 2002 says. Apr 03, 2011 serial comma definition is a comma used to separate the secondtolast item in a list from a final item introduced by the conjunction and or or called also harvard comma, oxford comma. How to use serial commas correctly when writing in english. For example, if you write, squiggly, aardvark, and. It is not a rule that you put a comma in wherever you would naturally pause in a sentence. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial. The oxford comma, in pictures grammar girl quick and dirty tips.
Serial commas and serial semicolons by erika suffern serial commas. A grammar enthusiast with strong convictions about the necessity of the oxford comma has gone viral on tik tok and reignited a long and contentious debate about whether or not you really need to. When to use and not use the serial comma capstone editing. Serial comma grammar underground with june casagrande. Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma also called series comma, oxford comma, and harvard comma. Aug 26, 2011 for example, if you write, squiggly, aardvark, and grammar girl that comma after aardvark and before and is the serial comma. A few words about that tenmilliondollar serial comma. However, the final commathe one that comes before the andis optional. Using a comma before and it is true that commas are sometimes optional, depending on sentence meaning and the writers taste, and many writers choose not to put a comma before the and in a series also known as the serial comma involving a parallel list of words. Strippers, jfk, and stalin illustrate why you should use.
For example, a list of three countries might be punctuated either as france, italy and spain without the serial comma or france, italy, and. The serial comma also known as the oxford comma is the optional comma used before the last and in a list of items. But style guides that typically do not use the serial comma make exceptions to handle such instances. A few words about that tenmilliondollar serial comma the. Of course, if you can rewrite text to avoid the confusion, im all for it but most times clients cant be bothered to rewrite so i say use the serial comma and you will avoid unnecessary. A girl giving a very serious lesson about the importance of grammar and the controversial oxford comma has gone viral on tik tok. The 2018 advanced grammar girl webinar on demand ragan. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The serial comma is the comma before the final and in a series. Learn whether putting an oxford comma before the last and in a list is proper punctuation. Nothing, but nothingprofanity, transgender pronouns, apostrophe abuseexcites the passion of grammar geeks more than the serial, or oxford, comma. The oxford or serial comma is the final comma in a list of things.
Grammar, oxford comma, punctuation, serial comma posted in blog no comments. Copy editing, grammar, oxford comma, punctuation, serial comma posted in blog no comments. Theres even a song called oxford comma, but it should be noted that the songs refrain wonders who really cares about it. If we want to evaluate the utility of the serial comma at all seriously, we really have to consider more than one example. In support of the national education associations read across america program on march 3, the nations leading authority on helping school children, teachers, and parents learn proper punctuation skills declares that the serial comma should be taught, used, and accepted universally. Serial comma definition of serial comma by merriamwebster. Serial comma definition is a comma used to separate the secondtolast item in a list from a final item introduced by the conjunction and or or called also harvard comma, oxford comma. Mar 22, 2017 the serial comma draws a distinction between i have a mandate, glitter, and septuplets and i have a mandate, glitter and septuplets, and its day in court drew a line in the sand.
Advocates of the serial comma include me and pretty much every other copy editor i know, fowler and strunk and white. For some reason, word people tend to get really worked up about this one little mark. In english language punctuation, a serial comma, or series comma also called an oxford comma or harvard comma, is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction usually and or or in a series of three or more terms. The trouble is, the serial comma does not always prevent ambiguity. Sometimes its referred to as the oxford comma or the harvard comma. The boots came in black, brown, black and gray, tan and brown and wine. British english vs american english the serial comma. Ap stylethe style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to. To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is find instagram on a map. That last comma before the and is called a serial comma, oxford comma, or harvard comma. Mar 17, 2017 nothing, but nothingprofanity, transgender pronouns, apostrophe abuseexcites the passion of grammar geeks more than the serial, or oxford, comma. The rules about serial commas are an example of such guidelines.
Serial commas can cause confusion, too monday, july 8th, 2019. Some people say to always use it and other people say to only use it when leaving it out. These are the burning questions that new york times bestselling author mignon fogarty, aka grammar girl, will answer during the grammar girls guide to ap style webinar. New additions and updates to ap style, including words that can be offensive e. An infographic that will ensure you never misuse the oxford comma again. The serial comma the comma used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items is called a serial comma. The director, the assistant chief, and the chairperson held a confidential meeting. Artwork original source grammar humor memes oxford comma. Dec 30, 2010 get grammar girl s take on the serial comma. The serial comma is the comma before the last and in a series.
Advanced comma rules, such as when the ap wants you to use a serial comma, and when you need a comma after an introductory clause. He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base. Writing and editing essentials from grammar girl and word czar. But w e here at, and other proponents like us, happen to like this little comma sorry, vampire weekend. Apr 27, 2014 grammar girl explains when to use a comma in this brief excerpt from, supercharge your content. But as a general rule, the british do not use this extra comma in lists, yet many americans do. For example, if you write, squiggly, aardvark, and grammar girl that comma after aardvark and before and is the serial comma. The serial also called oxford comma is the comma that comes right before the conjunction in a list of items. This special comma is known as the serial comma or, sometimes, the oxford comma. Jul 31, 20 the serial also called oxford comma is the comma that comes right before the conjunction in a list of items. This very strict grammar girl is teaching people a.
The top style manuals follow the serial comma rule. Feb 25, 2019 when exactly should you use a serial comma. Girl gives grammar, oxford comma lesson in viral tik tok time. According to the website box office mojo, the topgrossing movies of all time in the united states are currently avatar, titanic, and the dark knight. For example, a list of three countries might be punctuated either as france, italy and spain without the. When any of the items in the series contains a conjunction, the absence of the serial comma can mean trouble. And the reason is because without the little devil one can get confused. Strippers, jfk, and stalin illustrate why you should use the.
Serial comma definition of serial comma by the free dictionary. Whether to use the serial comma is a style issue, which is. Staying neutral in the comma wars monday, march 30th, 2020. In sum, commas are used to separate complete ideas, descriptive phrases. Serial comma use a serial comma also called an oxford comma, harvard comma, or series comma between elements in a series of three or more items. In a series consisting of three or more elements, separate the elements by commas. This page includes a great article about the value of the serial comma, by mignon fogarty, the host of grammar girl and founder of quick and dirty tips, an excellent, practical guide to good grammar, and samples demonstrating the importance of the serial comma like these humorous takes on the issue.
People have such strong opinions about the oxford comma that in 20 the satire site the onion published an. There is good reason for the americans clinging onto the serial comma. This article is about serialcomma rule enjoy your reading. Here are some examples of correctly using the serial comma. May 11, 2017 it is more common in american english to routinely make use of the serial comma, so it would be used in a list like apples, bananas, and oranges. The following are simple examples that use serial commas. The serial comma draws a distinction between i have a mandate, glitter, and septuplets and i have a mandate, glitter and septuplets, and. Stay tuned for more articles on the differences between. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the. Use of the oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others dont. Serial comma definition of serial comma by the free. Grammar girl weighing in on the serial comma comma overuse perhaps the best way to troubleshoot your particular comma problems, especially if they are serious, is to identify and understand the patterns of your errors. In support of the national education associations read across america program on march 3, the nations leading authority on helping school children, teachers, and parents learn proper punctuation skills declares that the serial comma should be. In her article on the topic, grammar girl argues for the consistent use of the serial comma.
This comma is called the serial comma or the oxford comma. There is a ferocious grammatical debate over whether a comma should go before the final conjunction in a series of three or more elements. The serial comma is largely down to preference, and different style guides will tell you different things. Using grammar girl podcasts to teach about commas the. A serial comma simply means that a comma will separate each element in a series of three or more, even before the coordinating conjunctions and and before or. It doesnt matter whether those items are nouns, gerund, adjectives, or more complicated terms. Having said that, there are arguments among grammarians and linguists about what is correct usage and what is left to style. Here are some related thoughts from punctuation man and the grammar girl. For example, the following sentence uses the serial comma. I have seen my best friend skiing, flying, and crashing. If you pay attention to little things like punctuation marks, youll notice that writers are split on this one. Serial comma synonyms, serial comma pronunciation, serial comma translation, english dictionary definition of serial comma.
Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series. Perhaps the best way to troubleshoot your particular comma problems, especially if they are serious, is to identify and understand the patterns of your errors. The lack of a serial comma implies that orphans in instagram are going to receive christmas cheer, all thanks to you. In her will, the woman left jewelry, coins, stocks and bonds, but no cash. When you put a comma before the word and in a lista seriesits called a serial comma.
Factors of personality include extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Its up to you whether to use a serial comma the comma before the final and in a list of items. We tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. When a conjunction usually and, or, or but joins the last two elements in the series, put a comma before the conjunction. Sep 27, 2018 you can also find information on assigning grammar girl in achieve on the support page add grammar girl and shared english content to your course. Serial commas and serial semicolons the mla style center. Although the serial comma isnt always necessary, i favor it because often it does add. Jun 15, 2017 serial commas and serial semicolons by erika suffern serial commas. Patti and her friends are debating about the serial commathe comma that comes before the final conjunction in a list. This comma precedes the final item in a list or series, before the word and or or. In short, aps stance is to omit the serial comma except when it prevents misreading, and chicagos stance is to always include itfor the same reason. When any of the items in the series contains a conjunction.
If you are at all familiar with vampire weekend, you know they arent fans of this punctuation mark. This image, courtesy of the gloss, illustrates why. So lets suppose, for the sake of argument, that the poor author quoted above had had help from only one parent, rather than both. A serial comma is a comma that is used before the coordinating conjunction that precedes the last item in a series of three or more items see full answer below.
You can also find information on assigning grammar girl in achieve on the support page add grammar girl and shared english content to your course. When you join three or more elements in a series, put a comma before the conjunction usually and or or. Obvious typographic errors may be corrected silently without comment or. Use a comma to separate the elements in a series three or more things, including the last two.
The serial comma, also known as the oxford comma, arouses strong feelings. Serial comma oxford comma as mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should separate each element of the list. Grammar girl explains when to use a comma in this brief excerpt from, supercharge your content. The serial comma rule is a style for presenting items in a list. It is more common in american english to routinely make use of the serial comma, so it would be used in a list like apples, bananas, and oranges. Information and translations of serial comma in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. I always advise my clients to use the serial comma many object, until i show them examples of how omitting it creates confusion. Grammar is the collection of rules and conventions that make languages go. This section is about standard american english, but theres something here for everyone.
1648 1461 1029 1174 1350 1208 14 704 1081 24 637 576 1151 1420 1204 777 458 745 1256 1370 1247 841 232 319 353 1624 1497 173 1470 1135 1191 361 1492 649 929 728 1064 1234