What does the AG community think about the oxford comma? for those of you who dont know about the oxford comma, it is the comma that comes right before a coordinating conjunction such as "and" or "or, usually in a list.
for example: i need bread, milk, and butter.
many intense grammar nazis argue that the oxford comma is unnecessary and shouldn't be used. so the previous sentence would become this:
i need bread, milk and butter.
even though the oxford comma is considered "grammatically correct".
Learn the English language - Cheers, The English... Only the Americans spell it alot... generally they're wrong a lot of the time. Disagree? Use logic it's two words...
And I was always taught not to have it I mean
It looks better, and it sounds better when speaking bread(pause) milk(pause) and-butter. Instead of bread(pause) milk-and-butter.
You say this...this and this (skip onto it) ;D By the way... how many of you are American? I mean can Americans have an opinion on how to speak English? You spell through, thru ¬¬
[quote]It looks better, and it sounds better when speaking bread(pause) milk(pause) and-butter. Instead of bread(pause) milk-and-butter.
Yeah, technically it's grammatically correct, because otherwise it would be considered part of the same phrase [lack of words]. Mixing up your example a little bit...
Milk, bread and butter.
Doesn't sound quite right, does it? One might consider the last two words the same thing, especially since bread and butter is sort of a common phrase. Also thinking that, you notice the lack of correct grammar; there should be an 'and' between milk and bread. So, the grammatically correct way to write would be using the oxford comma:
Milk, bread, and butter.
Whala. The oxford comma is grammatically correct.[/quote]
There are some instances where I think it's required to avoid confusion, I can't think of any off the top of my head though. I think we're taught not to use it here because the comma is replacing 'and'. I don't really know.
Aknerd you little ninja. If you had left out the oxford comma, I would say you met 2 people and a horse, but* with the oxford comma it could be either way. It could be either way either way I guess.
Let's play the "What is aknerd trying to say" game.
On the way to the store I met Joe, a security guard, and a horse.
Is Joe a security guard? Or did I meet two people and a horse?
But in that instance the Oxford comma is bad :P That says that Joe, a security guard, is a security guard... but then that's because of the commas being used as brackets :P but when you say with only two things this and this it's rapid without a pause so why should the comma be there? then again... however, against that however needs commas after it and you don't pause :S I don't think you can say what does what in English seeing as it stole / steals bits from every language it can thieve from
Apologies for the nationalism... English and American is one of those things that pointlessly gets on my nerves ;D
Not necessarily, if you use it correctly. If you were referring to Joe as a security guard, grammatically, there should be no oxford comma because there are only two subjects. If you did use the oxford comma, it can be translated as two different people and a horse. Otherwise, Joe is a security guard.
No it can't? by using the oxford comma it creates the comma bracketing (technical term ) therefore Joe is a security guard...
On the way to the store I met Joe, a security guard, and a horse.
Can we put this to rest and agree English is a stupid language that makes little logical sense? :P
Hey I'm an Englishman through and through (apart from the French bit...) but I'll still agree it's a bit silly at times ;D Then again... from leaning German I've found a worse one ;D Just because I've said because doesn't mean I should put the verb to the end -__- ;D wait... we're going off topic here.
I think the Oxford comma is bad everyone else opinion?
But that isn't the oxford comma, is it? That's a different comma. But yeah, if you say/write it right, then there won't be any confusion - 'Joe the security guard and a horse' vs. 'Joe, a security guard, and a horse.'
Well, it might be an oxford comma, and it might not be. For instance, the comma could be used in an explanatory manner, as in this sentence:
I was going to a night club when I saw Joe, a security guard, and stopped to talk to him.
In this and in the original case, the commas around "a security guard" serve to describe Joe in more detail. They are called appositive commas.
The problem with the oxford comma is that, in many cases, it looks exactly like the appositive comma. This creates ambiguity.
