oxford comma
As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. [1]
It seems like the Oxford comma’s days are numbered. [2]
A University of Oxford Writing and Style Guide has decided that writers should, “as a general rule,” avoid using the Oxford comma. [3]
Seriously though, there are those who would argue that the use of (or lack of) an Oxford Comma between the last two items in the series (in this case, history and science) would be of little consequence, because these words are just words and are all equal in weight and value. [4]
As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write `a, b and c’ not `a, b, and c’. [5]
And yet, even the rumbling of a distant threat to the Oxford comma (or “serial comma”) turns me instantly into an NFL referee, blowing my whistle and improvising some sort of signal ‘ perhaps my hands clasped to my own head as if in pain ‘ to indicate that the loss of the serial comma would sadden me beyond words. [6]
It’s known as the Oxford comma because it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press. [7]
The University of Oxford styleguide has decided that as ‘a general rule’ use of the serial comma should be avoided. [2]
Specifically, I want to talk about a thing known as the serial comma, or, as it’s commonly called in academic circles, the Oxford Comma–okay, okay–if you’re from Harvard, it’s known as the Harvard Comma (Quinion). [4]
Update: The document I linked to above is from a branding style guide for Oxford University. [1]
The Oxford Comma, specifically, is used before the last item in a series to both separate (thereby denoting equality within the list of items) and to remove ambiguity in the author’s meaning caused by mis-grouped words (eat, cow, and pie, vs. [4]
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The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. [8]
“For teaching me that the Oxford comma resolves ambiguity, I’d like to thank my parents, Sinead O’Connor and the Pope,” said Twitter user Aaron Suggs ((at)ktheory), deftly illustrating the potential damage that can be caused to a sentence’s meaning. [9]
Following that, college freshmen, upon successfully completing English 101, should be able to write, “I came to school and studied English, Latin, history, and science,” meaning they studied English and Latin and history and science–all of them, separately, individually, in an unrelated fashion. [4]
Sources:
[1] Oxford Writing and Style Guide no longer …
[2] Oxford Comma Dropped: University of Oxford Styleguide Says No To …
[3] Oxford Comma Dropped by a University of Oxford Style Guide
[4] The Oxford Comma?
[5] Punctuation - University of Oxford
[6] Going, Going, And Gone?: No, The Oxford Comma Is …
[7] What is the ‘Oxford comma’? : Oxford Dictionaries Online
[8] Serial comma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[9] Twitter Oxford comma commotion punctuated by fact