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Oxford Comma - Yes or No Login/Join 
Knows too little
about too much
Picture of rduckwor
posted
Oxford Comma? What we you taught long ago?

RMD

Question:
Oxford Comma:

Choices:
France, Germany, and England (Oxford Comma)
France, Germany and England (No Oxford Comma)

 




TL Davis: “The Second Amendment is special, not because it protects guns, but because its violation signals a government with the intention to oppress its people…”
Remember: After the first one, the rest are free.
 
Posts: 20426 | Location: L.A. - Lower Alabama | Registered: April 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Do---or do not.
There is no try.
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A very appropriate graphic illustrating this principle has previously appeared in this Forum. It caused me to spray my soft drink all over my keyboard and screen...
 
Posts: 4602 | Registered: January 01, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Truth Seeker
Picture of StorminNormin
posted Hide Post
I was taught and still use the Oxford Comma although I had no clue it had a term.




NRA Benefactor Life Member
 
Posts: 8901 | Location: The Lone Star State | Registered: July 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Protect Your Nuts
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"deserves" ain't got nothin to do with it.
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Posts: 2696 | Location: VA, mostly | Registered: June 14, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Tinker Sailor Soldier Pie
Picture of Balzé Halzé
posted Hide Post
Yes, absolutely.

It confounds me why anyone would not use it.


~Alan

Acta Non Verba
NRA Life Member (Patron)
God, Family, Guns, Country

Men will fight and die to protect women... because women protect everything else. ~Andrew Klavan

 
Posts: 31170 | Location: Elv. 7,000 feet, Utah | Registered: October 29, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gracie Allen is my
personal savior!
posted Hide Post
Because it serves absolutely no freaking purpose that isn't already served by the word "and". In the example above, you say the what's being said in the bottom version by simply not using any commas at all since the use of commas there would be pointless and I suppose at least potentially confusing.
 
Posts: 27313 | Location: Deep in the heart of the brush country, and closing on that #&*%!?! roadrunner. Really. | Registered: February 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Baroque Bloke
Picture of Pipe Smoker
posted Hide Post
Yep, Oxford comma.



Serious about crackers
 
Posts: 9699 | Location: San Diego | Registered: July 26, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Tinker Sailor Soldier Pie
Picture of Balzé Halzé
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Because it serves absolutely no freaking purpose that isn't already served by the word "and".


It serves to clarify a sentence and prevent confusion.


~Alan

Acta Non Verba
NRA Life Member (Patron)
God, Family, Guns, Country

Men will fight and die to protect women... because women protect everything else. ~Andrew Klavan

 
Posts: 31170 | Location: Elv. 7,000 feet, Utah | Registered: October 29, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gracie Allen is my
personal savior!
posted Hide Post
Hardly. You're just adding dross. Honestly, the only people it could help are those who have to read aloud in order to read.
 
Posts: 27313 | Location: Deep in the heart of the brush country, and closing on that #&*%!?! roadrunner. Really. | Registered: February 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ice age heat wave,
cant complain.
Picture of MikeGLI
posted Hide Post
YES! Oxford or Serial comma is always in play.




NRA Life Member
Steak: Rare. Coffee: Black. Bourbon: Neat.
 
Posts: 9775 | Location: Orlando, Florida | Registered: July 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Oriental Redneck
Picture of 12131
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Both, I've used.

Or, is it, both I've used?


Q






 
Posts: 28221 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: September 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
posted Hide Post
Taught?
My earliest memory of the preference of an English teacher was to not use it. Ultimately, I changed my mind for myself and use it regularly.




“I can’t give you brains, but I can give you a diploma.”
— The Wizard of Oz

This life is a drill. It is only a drill. If it had been a real life, you would have been given instructions about where to go and what to do.
 
Posts: 47958 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
Picture of Skins2881
posted Hide Post
Yes, along with my double space after a period.



Jesse

Sic Semper Tyrannis
 
Posts: 21341 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: December 27, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Web Clavin Extraordinaire
Picture of Oat_Action_Man
posted Hide Post
It depends on context. If the series is potentially confusing, then yes. If the series is not potentially confusing, then no.

Moreover, the hilarious example of "the strippers, JFK and Stalin" could simply have been reordered to "JFK, Stalin and the strippers" to avoid the need for a serial comma in the first place.

One needn't cover up bad writing with punctuation, which often compounds its badness.


----------------------------

Chuck Norris put the laughter in "manslaughter"

Educating the youth of America, one declension at a time.
 
Posts: 19837 | Location: SE PA | Registered: January 12, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of DrDan
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
One needn't cover up bad writing with punctuation, which often compounds its badness.


Speak for yourself! You're obviously not an engineer.... Razz




This space intentionally left blank.
 
Posts: 5059 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
delicately calloused
Picture of darthfuster
posted Hide Post
In 4th grade I was taught it was optional and since adding a tiny slash was so much more work, I opted out.



You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier
 
Posts: 30002 | Location: Norris Lake, TN | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I can't tell if I'm
tired, or just lazy
Picture of ggile
posted Hide Post
I have used both depending on whether the sentence would be more, or less confusing with, or without it.


_____________________________

"The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Benjamin Franklin
 
Posts: 2116 | Location: South Dakota-pheasant country | Registered: June 20, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:

"JFK, Stalin and the strippers"
Is "Stalin and the strippers" the name of a punk rock band?



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 31706 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Do---or do not.
There is no try.
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Whisp:


Yep, that’s the one.
 
Posts: 4602 | Registered: January 01, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
member
Picture of henryaz
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
Yes, along with my double space after a period.

Yes here, as well, and I double space from long habit. Though the SIGforum software collapses the extra space.
 
 
Posts: 10887 | Location: South Congress AZ | Registered: May 27, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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