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Do you use a serial (Oxford) comma? (kbin.social)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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A serial comma (or Oxford comma) is an optional comma used before the last item in a list. For example, "bread, butter, and tax evasion" uses a serial comma, whereas "bread, butter and tax evasion" does not.

Do you use it? Why or why not?

I always use it. I don't perceive any less of a pause between the last two items in a list than between any others, so it feels natural to put a comma there as well. Tbh, I'm so used to it that I usually have to do a double-take when it's not there (since it looks like a grammar error to me at first).

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Always use it.

If I'm listing this, that, and the other, the commas are just a horizontal series of bullet points, so there should be a comma for each item in the list.

Nobody would go:

This
That
The other

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

Also a fan of the serial comma, but I don't think a bulleted list works for your example:

This

• That

• The other

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Why would you not bullet the first word in that bulleted list?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I think the point is more that without the serial comma, the last two items in the list aren't separated like the others, which (imo) feels like omitting the last bullet point in a list.

EDIT: Fixed a typo.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

That helps me understand what the other person was saying in response to my comment now, thanks!

Seeeeee....we all get confused without it!