What is the Oxford comma?
According to Oxford Dictionaries , the Oxford comma is so named because it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press. Not all writers and publishers use it, but it can clarify the meaning of a sentence when the items in a list are not single words.
How do you use the Oxford comma?
The Oxford comma is used for clarification before and or or in a list of three or more things.
- I was on the bus with my husband, a thief and a compulsive liar.
- I was on the bus with my husband, a thief, and a compulsive liar.
The second sentence – with the Oxford comma – makes it clear that there were four people on the bus, rather than just one poor soul and their rogue of a spouse!
Omissions of the Oxford comma have been causing humour to the grammatically anal for many years. For example:
- Highlights of Peter Ustinov's global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year old demi-god and a dildo collector.
Who knew? The mind boggles...
"So, Lizzie, do you have any other favourite punctuation marks, or points or grammar?"
Well, that's jolly kind of you to ask, and yes, in fact I have many. ("Of course you do," thinks my long-suffering reader, as they roll their eyes.)
Let's leave aside the nails-down-the blackboard of your vs. you're - of which, more in a later blog post - and instead take a look at who vs. whom.
In simple terms, look at your sentence and if you could swap in he, she or they, then use who. If you could swap in him, her or them, then use whom. For example:
- Who stole the treasure?
- The treasure was stolen by whom?
I'm a copywriter and, as such, it's my job to obsess about stuff like this. Although this means that I'm excruciating company sometimes, being able to use these nerdy tendencies for my clients' benefit is actually quite satisfying. I take pride in knowing that their marketing materials have a distinctive professional touch, which could give them the edge over the so-called competition, who might lack that same attention to detail.