Oxford Commas

[miss_s_b]

Poll #10972 Oxford Commas

Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

View Respondents

Oxford Commas are:

View Answers

Awesome!
22 (62.9%)

A necessary evil
9 (25.7%)

Something I have no opinion on
2 (5.7%)

Something which should be banned, and the users of them exterminated for the common good
1 (2.9%)

Special Snowflakes
10 (28.6%)

Ticky box!
16 (45.7%)

I'm not actually sure what an oxford comma is...
0 (0.0%)

ETA: If you're just happening on this, read the comments. My f-list is awesome.

Comments

[andrewhickey.info]

I *think* my practice is to use no commas before 'and', *except* when adding a comma would remove ambiguity, but to use a comma before other conjunctions, such as 'or'. But I don't think about it consciously, so I may be wrong about that.

[matgb]

Pretty sure that was what I was taught at school, no comma before and unless there's an item that's "this and that", so it always confuses me to see them, even though I know they're theoretically better.

But then, I'm so far the opposite of a prescriptivist it annoys some people.

[gwenhwyfaer]

I was about to ask how anyone could possibly be annoyed by someone absolutely refusing to tell them what to do, but then I remembered which species I belong to.

*sigh*

[gwenhwyfaer]

Into which bucket does "Awesome for resolving ambiguity, but only used by Old Oxonians, Colin Dexter, and the pretentiously pseudo-intellectual otherwise" fall?

[havocthecat]

I do not get this idea that only the old and the pretentious use Oxford commas. We learned them in our middle class, Midwestern U.S. grade school grammar lessons. They were required. For a bunch of dorky kids in the eighties and nineties, no less. How is that pretentious?

[gwenhwyfaer]

I think it's a right-pondian thing, much like -ise vs -ize. (Also, Old Oxonian doesn't necessarily imply old-aged.)

[havocthecat]

It's entirely probable that you're correct. :)

Gorgeous icon, btw.

[andrewhickey.info]

Although of course you *are* deliberately and nastily skewing the poll by putting an Oxford comma in the "Oxford commas should be banned" option. I can imagine a lot of people refusing to tick that one...

[gwenhwyfaer]

Not strictly speaking; even Oxonians don't insist on the Oxford comma in a two item list. (And in any case, Jennie's separating two subsentences, not listing two items.)

[andrewhickey.info]

Good point, well made.

[gwenhwyfaer]

(Which, thinking about it, means you should have ticked the last box... *pokes out tongue, ducks and runs away*)

[andrewhickey.info]

Well, there isn't an "I usually know what I'm talking about, but right now am absolutely exhausted and not thinking straight" one ;)

Anyway, I can argue that it's because of my semi-Oxonian state. I have a diploma from Oxford, but not a full degree...

[gwenhwyfaer]

s'ok, I left before getting anything. I'm in the "occasionally pretentiously pseudo-intellectual" category :)

[gominokouhai]

Oxford commas are, amongst other things, necessary, required, and mandatory.

While we're on the subject

[gominokouhai]

"Something on which I have no opinion", please.

[pseudomonas]

I prefer using them. I do not, however, want to have their little punctuative babies.

[gwenhwyfaer]

OK, now all I can think is how much a comma looks like a sperm doing a U-turn. Thanks, pseudomonas.

[pseudomonas]

Oh, great, now you've pointed it out to me. Though it looks more like a little face, somehow, at least in the icon.

[pseudomonas]

IJLTS 'commajob'

[missdiane]

Considering the RAMPANT, infuriating apostrophe abuse that happens here in New Jersey, Oxford commas are at the bottom of my punctuation priority list.

[etoile]

Oxford commas fall under the category of stuff I'm convinced Mrs Sugden had wiped from my brain in anger that I chose A-Level chemistry over English.

[innerbrat]

My opinion is just that if you're listing the kind of list in which you need to use an Oxford comma to remove ambiguity, then you should take the opportunity to grant a home to some beautiful,* and criminally underused, semi-colons.


*clause separation, not an Oxford comma.

-edit- case in point: look at the way Dreamwidth has used commas in separating items in the 'View Answers' function. Needs more semi-colons!

[rhythmaning]

I like Oxford commas, to remove ambiguity.

But I LOVE semi colons.

And I also love ambiguity...

[miss_s_b]

Semi colons are the bees knees. Actually, they do kind of look like little bee knees...

Miss Holly got a parcel from you yesterday. Thank you! I shall be stealing them to read myself once she's done *hug*

[innerbrat]

You're both welcome! The trade is smaller and isn't the best printing, so floppies were the way to go!

[miss_s_b]

According to... oh, one of the comics blogs I read... I can't remember who; anyway, according to an unspecified source it's going to be an ongoing soon! I may have to email Terri at Reed Comics and get her to add it to my list. Once I've read it to make sure it's as awesome as it looks, and everyone says it is, obvs.

[innerbrat]

Oooh, I was expecting a volume 2. An ongoing would be delish!

[miss_s_b]

* likes to see a happy Debi *

[steveb_uk]

I shall retain the Oxford Comma for every time that I need to publicly thank My parents, The Queen, and God. I'm special and all, but not that special.

[innerbrat]

Wouldn't be a problem if people used colons!

[steveb_uk]

This is true, but then you get into the big one: should anyone ever use semi-colons? *Controversial*

[innerbrat]

Click "view answers" on Jennie's poll. Pay attention specifically to karohemd's answers. Is there anything other than a semi-colon that would remove that confusion?

[steveb_uk]

I'm with Vonnegut :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semicolon#Literature

[innerbrat]

a) I would like to know what is so wrong with tranvestite hermaphrodites.

b) semi-colons are some of the most beautiful punctuation marks in existence and it's not their fault you and Kurt have no aesthetic taste.

c) that doesn't answer my question :-P

[steveb_uk]

a) Nothing, but Kurt seems to like things un-nuanced when it comes to his punctuation.
b) They look great on a page, but are they necessary?
c) ...I don't have time to check, but I get around it with judicious use of dashes, commas and colons :)

[innerbrat]

Beauty is always necessary.

And I doubt you can. I am incredibly skeptical that any of those things can be used to separate list items when one or more of the list items contains a comma.

[gwenhwyfaer]

Of course, if you thanked god, the queen and your parents, you wouldn't have a problem...

[telegramsam]

Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't. It just depends on who I am trying to annoy that day. :D