The Oxford Comma: Use Them or Lose Them?

To Oxford comma or not to Oxford comma - take your pick

The humble , is just a small, innocuous-looking squiggle, right?

But wow, can it cause fierce debate in the world of words when it comes to lists.

So here’s my take on the much-mulled over Oxford comma – otherwise known as the serial comma – and why it bends so many brain cells.

What is an Oxford comma?

An Oxford comma appears before the ‘and’ in a list of three or more items.

For example: “The three primary colours are red, blue, and yellow.”

Typing that second comma has left me restless. I immediately want to delete it.

Why? Read on…

Are there rules about the Oxford comma?

This is where it gets messy.

As author Lynne Truss, in her brilliant book Eats Shoots and Leaves, warns: “There are people who embrace the Oxford comma and those who don't, and I'll just say this: never get between these people when drink has been taken.”

The Oxford comma inspires its own passionate advocates. These devotees prefer to use it in every single list. This is especially true in the US where its use is generally de rigueur.

It also has plenty of fierce protectors in the UK but its flexibility is definitely more, errr, flexible.

My mantra? Anything that makes copy look crisper and more streamlined is worth doing. Which means knowing when and how to use an Oxford comma to tick all the readability boxes.

When to use an Oxford comma

Punctuation purists like me believe you don't need one in a simple list.

I enjoy fish, chips and mushy peas as a Friday treat. With just one comma.

What purpose would adding another one after ‘chips’ serve? There’s zero ambiguity here. You can picture my plate. You might even start licking your lips.

But lists aren’t always this simple

Recommended Oxford comma usage #1

If one of the items in a list includes its own ‘and’, add an Oxford comma in the most appropriate place.

Now maybe I want to tell you that I enjoy fish, chips, mushy peas, and plenty of salt and vinegar for extra zing as a Friday treat.

Lose the comma after ‘mushy peas’ and there’s little ambiguity in meaning here if you read it logically. But, as a more complicated list, adding it crystallises semantics while smoothing out flow and minimising stumbling potential.

Which is what friendly grammar is all about – clarity and readability.

Recommended Oxford comma usage #2

To avoid obvious ambiguity.

While ambiguity is subjective in many cases, sometimes it’s blindingly obvious. Which is where the Oxford comma is 100% necessary as it serves a useful purpose.

Compare and contrast:

“I love my parents, Harry Potter and Kylie Minogue.”

“I love my parents, Harry Potter, and Kylie Minogue.”

Unless you're the secret half-fictional love child of HP and Kylie, the Oxford comma is needed here in the second example for clarity.

So, when it comes to Oxford commas, if you want your words to look contemporary and fresh:

·       Lose them if doing so doesn’t affect meaning or disrupt flow.

·       Use them if there's any element of ambiguity or wobbly rhythm.

And, naturally, a professional proofreader and copy editor has the expert eyes and ears to assess each set of comma circumstances.

So is the Oxford comma necessary?

Use them liberally, use them occasionally – your call.

But whatever you do, don’t flip between two different styles. Consistency is all.

And of course, if a client prefers the Oxford comma, I’ll keep them in. With gritted teeth. If the style guide doesn’t mention them – or that guide doesn’t exist – I’ll gently steer them towards my (very sensible and considered) way of thinking…

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