Oxford commas - all you need to know

Well! It’s all kicking off in the UK.

Again.

What with all the trauma and turmoil, you’d think that government ministers had better things to do than worry about their civil servants’ grammar. Apparently not.

Therese Coffey, newly in charge of the health service, has issued directives about the use, or non-use, of the Oxford comma by her civil servants, and for a brief while we were plunged right back into the Great Grammar Wars before genuinely important things – like a possible run on sterling – took over.

Personally I’d prefer the health minister to be focusing on, you know, public health, reducing A&E and ambulance waiting times, and doing something so my aging parents don’t need to wait three weeks for a GP appointment (hi mum, hi dad!).

But we don’t always get what we want. So here is the definitive guide to the Oxford comma – and why politicians should just leave well alone.

What is an Oxford comma?

It’s just another name for a serial comma

Oh helpful, thanks! What’s a serial comma?

A comma used before a conjunction (basically and or or) in a list of three or more items. For example:

1.     Mad, bad, and dangerous to know

2.     Government of, by, and for the people

3.     A gentlemen, a thief, and a murderer

Why Oxford?

Blame the Oxford University Press for this one. The use of a serial comma has been part of the OUP’s house style for more than 100 years, and so the name sort of stuck. (It’s sometimes known as a Harvard comma, presumably for the same reasons.)

Should I use one?

Oh sweet innocent child! if only it were that simple. The use of the Oxford comma is a source of, shall we say, some disagreement among writers, editors, pub bores, grammar nerds, academics, journalists and – as it transpires – government ministers.

Who is right though?

Depends on who you ask.

Seriously?

Yes, I know. I’m not trying to be difficult or facetious, but there is no hard and fast rule. Check out this small sample of various authorities’ thoughts on the serial comma:

Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage: “The so-called 'Oxford comma' is an optional comma … it is sometimes helpful to the reader to use an isolated serial comma for clarification, even when the convention has not been adopted in the rest of the text.”

New Hart’s Rules, 2005: “The general rule is that one style or the other should be used consistently.”

The Chicago Manual of Style: “Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage [of the serial comma], blessed by Fowler and other authorities, since it prevents ambiguity.”

The AP Styleguide: “Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in most simple series. Include a final comma in a simple series if omitting it could make the meaning unclear.”

The Times style manual: “Avoid the so-called Oxford comma.”

The Economist Style Guide: “Do not put a comma before and at the end of a sequence of items unless one of the items includes another and. Thus ‘The doctor suggested an aspirin, half a grapefruit and a cup of broth. But he ordered scrambled eggs, whisky and soda, and a selection from the trolley.’”

The Guardian Style Guide: “Straightforward [lists] (he ate ham, eggs and chips) do not need [a comma], but sometimes it can help the reader (he ate cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade, and tea).”

Markus, my German teacher: “Germans don’t put a comma before the ‘und’ unlike you English.”  

Sorry, Markus! Sometimes we don’t either.  

The real rules of Oxford Commas

Here’s what you really need to know:

• Clarity is King! Commas of any kind are there to aid understanding. As with all punctuation, if it makes your text clearer or easier to read, use a comma. If it doesn’t, then don’t.

• Perfect grammar is not the same thing as great writing. You can be grammatically flawless and still have dull, incomprehensible or unengaging copy.

• There really, really are far more important things to worry about. Especially when you’re in charge of a national health service.

Notes

It’s worth noting that books like How to Write Better Copy by Steve Harrison; The Art and Craft of Feature Writing by William E. Blundell of the WSJ; and The Financial Times Essential Guide to Business Writing by Ian Atkinson don’t mention the Oxford comma at all. All are recommended.

This blog post is obvious soundtracked by Vampire Weekend. Who gives a f**k about an Oxford comma, indeed! If songs about obscure grammar are your jam, then check out Nekwaha Semi Colon by The Semi Colon, Ampersand by Amanda Palmer, and Ranking Full Stop by The Beat.

The last word goes to Sam Leith in Write to the Point: “On some occasions you positively need to insert one to resolve an ambiguity. The guests at the part included two prostitutes, my ex-wide and the guitarist from Pink Floyd. The attentive reader will notice that this is at best ungallant and at worst libellous.”