Are Oxford commas optional?

An Oxford, or serial, comma is the last comma in a list; it goes before the word “and.” Technically, it’s grammatically optional in American English.

When did the Oxford comma become standard?

The word comma comes from the Greek word koptein, which means “to cut off.” The Oxford comma has been attributed to Horace Hart, printer and controller of the Oxford University Press from 1893 to 1915, who wrote Hart’s Rules for Compositors and Readers in 1905 as a style guide for the employees working at the press.

Does Oxford still use the Oxford comma?

The Oxford University Press quickly responded that they do, indeed, still use the Oxford comma, and by the next day Galley Cat had posted a clarification.

Why the Oxford comma is wrong?

Regardless of the order, a proper noun and a common noun would be next to each other in a list, and an Oxford comma would allow readers to mistake one as a clarification of the previous noun. Another reason to skip the Oxford comma is to save time, both for the writer and reader.

Is the Oxford comma taught in school?

The use of the Oxford Comma is typically taught on the second-grade level. Many students use it until they find out later that they no longer need to use it. Some style guides don’t require the use of the Oxford Comma, but there are exceptions. AP Style writing requires the use of the Oxford Comma.

Who doesnt use Oxford comma?

Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.

Who still uses the Oxford comma?

AP Style writing requires the use of the Oxford Comma. Someone who would typically write in AP style is a newspaper reporter. The Oxford Comma is the final comma in a list of three or more things in a sentence, which goes before the “and” or “or” in a sentence.

Is Oxford comma right or wrong?

The Oxford comma comes right after eraser. Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. Unless you’re writing for a particular publication or drafting an essay for school, whether or not you use the Oxford comma is generally up to you.

Is it correct to use the Oxford comma?

Well, appropriately enough, Oxford Dictionaries has the answer. The proper usage of the Oxford, or Serial, comma comes before the final conjunction (and/or) in a list of three or more items.

What is the Oxford comma and when do I use it?

The proper definition of the Oxford comma is “a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’.” For example: “Today I went to lunch with my roommates, Tom, and Molly.”

When to use the Oxford comma?

Oxford comma. noun. The definition of a Oxford comma is a punctuation mark used before “and” or “or” in a list of three more items. An example of the use of the Oxford comma is the final comma in a list (after the word “nurse”) written by a student when he said was “interested in a career as a teacher, a nurse, or a scientist.”.

Does AP style use the Oxford comma?

The Oxford comma comes right after eraser. Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma.