The importance of the Oxford Comma
- Thread starter What Would Jesus Do?
- Start date
You're just saying that in hopes of inheriting his collection.I always liked Madiba.
When I learned grammar, we were taught to use the comma before the conjunction in a series. At some point that seemed to change (for the worse, imo). Does anyone know why someone thought it a good idea to remove it? (The OP provides ample evidence as to why it should be used.)AKA the serial comma.
There was a general rebellion against overuse of commas. Especially in the US. While the idea was to drop them only when the meaning was obvious (and thus the comma unnecessary for comprehension) this led to a "when in doubt, leave it out" rule of thumb. With occasionally amusing consequences. Unfortunately, there are probably also situations when the confusion isn't particularly amusing.
Personally, I tend to leave them out if I think the meaning is clear. That still makes sense to me.
It, at least in part, stems from ye olde days of typesetting. Newspapers wanted to save a little bit of time and space on the page, so they decided to omit the last comma. There is no reason not to use the serial comma, especially in the age of digital kerning. It eliminates confusion and isn't optional for a reasonable writer.
If I may, let me offer some advice from a person who used to do this kind of thing for a living. The Golden Rule of Clear Writing when it comes to a situation like this, or the use of "who" or "whom," or similar situations -- especially situations in which the proper grammar looks improper, is:AKA the serial comma.
Write around it.
That is, rewrite your sentence to eliminate the possibility of a misunderstanding. In this case, you might write ".....interviewed were Kris Kristofferson, Robert Duvall, and Merle Haggard's two ex-wives" or "...interviewed were Merle Haggard's two ex-wives, as well as Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall" or "...interviewed were Merle Haggard's to ex-wives and his friends Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall."
Incidentally, that last example, illustrates yet another problem with commas. Some people would put a comma after "friends," but that would be a mistake. A comma in that situation tells the reader that Merle Haggard had only two friends, and their names were Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall," while the lack of a comma tells the reader that these are the two of his (presumably many) friends who were interviewed.
One frequently comes across this error in a sentence such as, "I told my daughter, Xanthippe, to have fun at the prom but keep her knees together." This says Xanthippe is the only daughter. If the name is not set off by commas, the reader can reasonably infer that the speaker told his other daughters something else.
