We all have our pet peeves when it comes to grammar, and mine, ladies and gentlemen, is known as the Oxford comma. If you’re a grammar nerd like me, you’ve probably heard of the great Oxford comma debate. But if you’re not, then you might just know that grammarians argue about it. So, what exactly is the Oxford comma? The Oxford comma is just another name for the serial comma, the comma that comes before the final “and” in a series.
Example 1: When I grow up, I want a house that has a library, a swimming pool, and a bowling alley.
The comma after “pool” and before “and” is the serial, or Oxford, comma. You may be wondering what the big deal is about having a comma before the final item in the series. Isn’t it obvious that there are three separate items being talked about here? Well, with this example, it is quite clear that there are three distinct items being discussed, but that isn’t always the case. Though I am a proponent of always—always—using the Oxford comma in a series (whether it’s needed for clarity or not), what I want to show you today is that there are times when you must use it to avoid confusion. The following is my favorite example, as seen in the image below, courtesy of Grammarly.com/grammar-check.
Example 2: My heroes are my parents, Superman and Wonder Woman.
Without the Oxford comma, “Superman and Wonder Woman” is an appositive phrase modifying “my parents,” meaning that your parents are Superman and Wonder Woman! I’m going to make an educated guess that this is not the case. Therefore, you must use the serial comma to show three separate items: my parents, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Example 3: One day, I hope to meet my favorite actors, the president and the vice president.
Unless you said this sometime between 1981 and 1989 when Ronald Reagan was president (and even then, his VP wasn’t a fellow actor), you have to use the Oxford comma to show that you want to meet your favorite actors, the president, and the vice president.
I hope that you now have a solid grasp of what the Oxford comma is and why it is important, but why is it called the Oxford comma? Well, it seems there has always been contention over the use of the serial comma, even among publishers. So, when Oxford University Press decided that they would standardize the use of the serial comma, the serial comma also became known as the Oxford comma. So, when your friends ask you what your opinion on the great Oxford comma debate is, you are ready to give an answer. And if they start to argue that it’s unnecessary, ask them if their parents are Superman and Wonder Woman.