The band Vampire Weekend asked this question (well, they didn’t say ‘hoot’ but this is a respectable blog) in their song Oxford Comma. Apparently, the song was inspired by the Society for the Preservation of the Oxford Comma, and the fact that many children these days are taught not to use it. The song made me wonder who does care about this little comma, and why all the fuss?

In case you didn’t know, an Oxford comma is when a comma is placed before the conjunction in a list of 3 or more things. For example, the sentence “I like eating chocolate, cake, and vegetables” has an Oxford (or serial) comma. Many people, including myself, believe that the extra comma removes ambiguity. “I like eating chocolate, cake and vegetables” could seem like someone likes eating cake and vegetables together, and could lead  to confusion. However there are others who believe the opposite, and say that it can cause confusion. This is because in some cases the use of an Oxford comma could be mistaken for an appositive phrase. Take the following phrase, for example: “My role models include my father, Gandhi, and the Pankhurst sisters. Now, I’m sure you know that my dad isn’t Gandhi, but you see the point I’m trying to make.

There are many arguments for and against the serial comma, and every style guide will have their own distinct reasons for encouraging or discouraging its use. Personally, I use the serial comma simply because I prefer the way it looks and the rhythym it provides. On the other hand, I’m sure that if I suspected it was causing ambiguity in my writing, I would stop using it. This issue does raise the question of whether people can tell if they’re being ambiguous, and I suspect that the answer to this question might be ‘no’ in most cases.

What do you think about this serial comma? Have you made a conscious decision to use or not use it, or do you follow a style guide? I’m interested to hear whether anyone has a strong opinion on this.

LAUREN WEBB