BROADCASTS.com

If you\u2019re new to writing, you may be unaware of the fierce debate among writers, editors, teachers, and grammarians over the use of the serial, or Oxford, comma. If you\u2019ve been around the world of words a while, you know the tension, the arguments, the passion associated with this tiny punctuation mark used\u2014or not used\u2014in the specific scenario of a series.\nThe Oxford Comma\nThe serial comma, also known as the Oxford comma, is the last comma you\u2019d use in a list that includes three or more words or phrases and a coordinating conjunction. The comma would be placed just before the final \u201cor\u201d or \u201cand.\u201d For example, if I said, \u201cI love articles, essays, poems, and podcasts,\u201d a serial comma would be the comma you\u2019d place just after \u201cpoems\u201d and before the word \u201cand.\u201d\n\nIt's often referred to as the Oxford comma because, as Oxford Dictionaries explains, "it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press.\u201d\nThe AP Stylebook vs. The Chicago Manual of Style\nStyle guides tend to fall into two camps on the use of the Oxford comma. The Chicago Manual of Style, for example, often used by book publishers, \u201cstrongly recommends\u201d its use in every series\u2014use it by default, they urge, because it prevents ambiguity.\n\nThe Associated Press Stylebook, usually referred to as the AP Stylebook, is used by many newspapers and magazines. This style guide prefers using the serial comma only when clarity is needed. Otherwise, leave it out by default. It\u2019s a space-saving measure, for one thing, and leaves the page one stroke cleaner and less cluttered.\n\nBoth philosophies agree that the use of the comma achieves the goal of avoiding ambiguity. The difference is that The Chicago Manual of Style argues that using it by default will avoid an oversight. So if you or the place you write for says to use the serial comma all the time\u2014even if the sentence would make sense without it\u2014you or the place you write for falls in the \u201cOxford comma\u201d camp.\nHow Can a Missing Comma Cause Confusion?\nWhat kind of ambiguity or confusion could be caused by leaving out one little bitty comma?\n\nMental Floss offers up several examples of confusion caused by leaving out that key comma. One is a book dedication that may have been invented. It reads: \u201cTo my parents, Ayn Rand and God.\u201d It\u2019s missing the serial comma that The Chicago Manual of Style would urge adding directly after Ayn Rand. With the Oxford comma missing, the dedication implies that this person comes from an implausible but unforgettable lineage\u2014that his or her parents are Ayn Rand and God.\n\nYou can poke around online and find numerous examples of how the Oxford comma helps avoid combinations that would lead to confusion or at least bizarre images. And, as I said, the AP Stylebook would agree to include it to avoid confusion. In that respect, we\u2019re all on the same page.\n\nBut it\u2019s worth our time to consider the implication of leaving it out when it really ought to have been included. A week or so ago, a United States Court of Appeals handed down a ruling that hinged upon a missing comma. Maine\u2019s overtime statutes include a list that leaves out the serial comma so that you could read it two different ways: one interpretation would combine two actions to be one, and another interpretation would separate them to be two different activities. Including the comma would have cleared things up.\n\nA dairy in Maine interpreted the meaning of the phrase one way, and its drivers interpreted it another way in a case involving overtime pay. And with that, we all saw that serial commas are serious business.\n\nSmithsonian Magazine provides a brief explanation of the case and quotes Judge David J. Barron: \u201cFor want of a comma, we have this case.\u201d\nSmall Stuff Matters\nNo matter where you fall on this usage philosophy, I hope you agree we must at some point and to some degree concern ourselves with commas.\n\nDon\u2019t let confusion or fear of comma placement keep you from churning out your fir...