More of everything is considered a good thing in our American culture. If one house is good, two or three must be better. A Big Gulp soda is thought to be superior to an eight-ounce drink.
Being a minimalist, (except for cats and books), I don’t see the logic in “more is better”. I’m strictly a “less is more” person. My thinking in this vein extends to commas. I get livid about the Oxford comma.
My venom toward a tiny punctuation mark may seem absurd. But this particular use of a comma is redundant in almost every instance. It totally disrupts the flow of any piece of writing and should be banished as a pretentious waste of time, space and ink. I refuse to use it and subject any reader to such a travesty.
The Oxford comma is the little rascal that is inserted before the word “and” in a series. For example, “Mary likes cats, crows, and caterpillars.” In my opinion, if writers have a desperate need for that comma, they should leave out the word “and”.
I recognize that in rare instances the Oxford comma is needed. The following sentence is absurd without it. “I owe my success to my parents, Albert Einstein and God.” I trust we are all intelligent enough to recognize these instances and act accordingly. And if we are not intelligent enough, we will merely inject a bit of humor into the world.
Despite being named after a British university, the Oxford comma is not standard usage in U.K. writing. Most British writers only use it to avoid ambiguity. The Oxford comma is an American affectation.
On this side of the ocean, the comma does have its detractors. The New York Times Stylebook, the Associated Press Stylebook and the Canadian Press Style Guide all advise against its use. Many acclaimed authors do not litter their pages with it.
I intend to remain firmly on the side of those who do not want the beauty of the written page to collapse under the weight of superfluous commas. Those nuns in grade school taught me well, and I listened.
Who would think commas would be contentious.
They are very much contentious, Marilyn. People get very irate at how unnecessary they are in almost all cases. You can see the rants if you Google Oxford Comma.
I agree. Use only if it helps one to understand the sentence.
Yes, we need to eliminate useless stuff.
Aha. I shall give myself permission to ignore the impulse to obey the Oxford rule–unless . . .I change my mind . . .
evie
I am happy to use it when needed…and that is on very rare occasions.
Mary, I disagree. In many sentences the Oxford comma is needed. These are some examples from the U. of Chicago Style Manual 16th edition. (1) Paul put the kettle on, Don fetched the teapot, and I made the tea.
(2) She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president.
The one I always used in the classroom was: Those people who attended the party were Mary, Bill, Sue and Joe. (Sue and Joe came as a couple.) The process is just determining what meaning you want.
NOTE: I am referring to the 16th edition because I don’t have the 17th edition with me right now. As of Monday I discovered that the 18th edition will be out at the end of this year or early next year. (Want to make a bet their ruling on this does not change?)
Jim, I am steadfast in my hatred of this overworked comma. But please feel free to call me out in those rare instances when it is actually needed and I fail to use it.