November 7, 2022

Introduction

Ah, yes. The Oxford comma.

In the world of grammar, there are few topics that stir up as much debate as the Oxford comma. Also known as the serial comma, this little punctuation mark can be the difference between a sentence being interpreted in one way or another. It’s also a favorite debate topic for grammar nerds (like me).

In this article, we’ll take a look at what the Oxford comma is, why people are so passionate about it, and how you can decide whether or not to use it in your own writing.

What is the Oxford Comma?

The Oxford comma is a punctuation mark that is used before the word “and” or “or” in a list of items. For example, consider the following sentence:

I went to the store and bought eggs, milk, and bread.

In this sentence, the Oxford comma is used before the word “and” to separate the last two items in the list (milk and bread).

Without the Oxford comma, this sentence would read:

I went to the store and bought eggs, milk and bread.

That sentence is still pretty clear, whether you include the Oxford comma or not. But what about sentences where omitting the Oxford comma could confuse the meaning?

Here’s an example:

I love my family, my bird and my goldfish.

Depending on how you read this, it could imply that the writer’s family literally consists of their bird and their goldfish. This is not too far outside the realm of plausibility, especially these days when people are more likely to consider their pets as part of their literal family.

However, if we add in the Oxford comma, it becomes much clearer:

I love my family, my bird, and my goldfish.

The Oxford comma is the one between “bird” and “and.”

Now it’s clear that the writer has three different entries in their list of loved ones: their family, their bird, and their goldfish. No confusion there.

Proponents of removing the Oxford comma would suggest reordering the items in the list in order to improve clarity. They’d likely rewrite that sentence like this:

I love my bird, my goldfish and my family.

Why the Debate?

There are two main reasons why the debate over whether or not to use an Oxford comma rages on. The first reason is that there is no one definitive answer. While some style guides recommend always using an Oxford comma, others recommend only using it when omitting it might lead to ambiguity, as we saw in the example above.

The second reason why this debate continues is because people feel very strongly about it! There are those who believe that using an Oxford comma makes writing cleaner and easier to read. On the other hand, there are those who believe that omitting an Oxford comma saves space and makes writing more concise.

It seems like the Oxford comma conversation is like the English grammar version of the “does pineapple go on pizza?” debate.

What’s My Opinion?

You might be wondering about my opinion of the Oxford comma.

As I wrote in my article Are Big, Impressive Words Always Better to Use When Writing, I concluded that your primary objective for writing—especially in a business context—should be clarity. In my view, the Oxford comma almost always increases the clarity of writing. And in my experience of reading hundreds upon hundreds of business websites, listing items and separating them with commas is a very common thing to do since most websites list the benefits and features of their product or service.

Even in the example I gave above where an omitted Oxford comma could cause confusion, it’s easy to say that with a moment’s thought you could correctly infer what the writer is trying to say. Of course. But that split second pause or interruption in the reading is not optimal, in my opinion. You want the reader’s eyes to continue moving without having to stop and reread something for any reason—especially on your website where you’re describing your product or service to a potential client or customer.

Plus, I must also admit that I’m a little bit old school. I’ve been reading and writing my entire life, and when I was younger an Oxford comma was almost always included. These days, as various style guides and English language experts are becoming less and less dogmatic about it, I’m seeing more instances of it being omitted in writing. Still, I find my brain hitting a little road bump every time I read a list of items and the Oxford comma isn’t there.

Should You Use the Oxford Comma?

At the end of the day, you should make the decision that’s best for you and your writing. Just be aware that there are debates raging about it!

If you’re not sure what to do, I recommend erring on the side of using an Oxford comma. It takes up hardly any space, it’s not too difficult to type, and in my opinion it makes writing slightly easier to read and pretty much always ensures clarity.

That being said, when I’m working with a client and see they don’t prefer to use the Oxford comma, I do not insist that they do.

What’s your opinion on the Oxford comma? Do you always use it, never use it, or only sometimes use it? Let me know in the comments!