Pope Francis and Michelle Obama: In Defense of the Oxford Comma
The Oxford comma (sometimes called a serial comma) is used in a series of three or more words separated by commas and a final conjunction. For example:
Spain, France, and Greece are countries on my bucket list.
Some grammarians feel that the Oxford comma is often redundant and therefore not necessary; they feel that and works as a substitute for the last comma; i.e.,
The countries on my bucket list are Spain, France and Greece.
In this particular example, either convention works fine. But in other instances, removing an Oxford comma can cause ambiguity (or worse):
Every Sunday morning, I read the comics, The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor.
Without an Oxford comma, this sentence gives me pause—are The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor that funny?
Other examples in which an Oxford comma would help:
The people I admire most are my parents, Pope Francis and Michelle Obama.
When hiking through the woods, be on the lookout for edible plants, black-capped chickadees and banana slugs.
I was thrilled to be on the same plane to Europe with my sisters, Jane Goodall and Ellen DeGeneres.
Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style recommends always using the Oxford comma, except in the names of businesses or firms, e.g., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith, Inc.
English writer and journalist Lynne Truss, author of the bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, is clear on her view of the Oxford comma: use always!
In her book Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, Mary Norris recognizes the occasional need for an Oxford comma, but asks, “Isn’t the and sufficient?” Incidentally, Norris does not care for the term “Oxford.” She feels that this highbrow term isn’t warranted: “Why not call it the Cornhuskers comma?” she asks.
Whenever you feel like using a serial comma or an Oxford (I have no problem with that sobriquet) comma, stop and consider clarity. If you’re really not the offspring of Pope Francis and Michelle Obama (see above), an Oxford comma after His Holiness would make that clear.
