Last Updated on July 12, 2024 by Nathaniel Tower
The Oxford comma is without a doubt the most hotly debated grammar topic of all time.
There have even been court cases about it.
People argue constantly over whether or not you should use the Oxford comma.
Here is the simple answer: I recommend always using it because there is never a time that using it will create less clarity.
As a writer, part of your job is to make it as clear as possible to the reader what you are trying to say.
When you use the Oxford comma, there is never any confusion.
Leaving it out can sometimes cause ambiguity.
Therefore, using it is always going to be to your advantage as a writer.
That said, there are still plenty of people who don’t want to use the Oxford comma. Let’s talk about why people object to it, look at some detailed reasons why you should use it, and then end with a compromise.
What is the Oxford comma
I may have gotten ahead of myself here. Let’s go back and give a quick refresher on what the Oxford comma is.
Also called the “serial comma,” it’s the comma separating the final two items in a list. More specifically, it’s the comma that comes before the conjunction that comes after the second-to-last item in a list.
For example:
I use Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and Microsoft Clarity on every website.
The comma between “Google Tag Manager” and “Microsoft Clarity” is the Oxford comma.
Do you need it? Nope. Does it help achieve clarity and an improved visual aesthetic?
Who am I to answer that? But I declare that it does.
Controversial opinions on a little comma
There are three camps on the Oxford comma:
- Camp 1 – Use it all the time no matter what because it can clear up confusion, but it never creates confusion (These are usually English majors, like myself, who want to achieve absolute clarity)
- Camp 2 – Never use it because it’s an extra character and people should be able to figure it out on their own because there is a conjunction there for a reason (This is what Journalism majors say)
I’ll get to the third camp in a moment. First, let’s get into the debate by exploring the most classic case:
I’m talking about the JFK, Hitler, and strippers example (note – I don’t remember if this is the actual example, but this is what I’m going with):
I went to a party with two strippers, JFK and Hitler.
Without the Oxford comma, it looks like JFK and Hitler are strippers.
Note – I looked it up after I wrote this and realized the real example used JFK and Stalin, not Hitler. Someone made a pretty awful image to support it many years ago; I tried to get the new and improved ChatGPT to make an image for me, but it wouldn’t do it. At least AI still has some ethics.
Now, back to the example.
If we add in the Oxford comma, then it becomes clear they are two additional guests, bringing the orgy to 5 people (the narrator, the two strippers, JFK, and Hitler).
Of course, the anti-Oxford comma group would just say, “Change the order of the list, dammit!”
But what if the strippers need to be first?
This is where the debate gets nasty. The journalists will argue there is always a workaround. The English majors will tell you to use the Oxford comma and shut up.
Here’s what ChatGPT said (after a little prompting, of course)
They both have a point, but neither will ever change the other side’s mind.
Which is fine. So let’s all just make fun of the third camp together.
Camp 3 – I don’t really pay attention to things like Oxford commas and just write whatever I want using whatever punctuation I want
Inconsistency is your brand’s worst enemy
The third camp is the worst, not because they don’t know what the Oxford comma is (actually they often do, but that’s not as funny), but because they don’t use it or not use it with any consistency.
The worst usage of the Oxford comma is inconsistent usage.
I don’t care if you use it or not (that’s not entirely true, but I’ll pretend it is).
What I care about is consistency.
If you use it sometimes, then use it all the time.
If you never use it, then never use it.
Don’t use it twice on Monday and omit it four times on Tuesday.
Inconsistency is the enemy of any good brand.
But it doesn’t matter, you say. No one will notice, you think.
Maybe not. But is anyone going to notice if your logo is one pixel smaller? Or if your font size is one pixel bigger? Or if your brand color is a slightly different shade of blue that is almost imperceptible to the human eye?
Okay, if you’re cool with that, then just, throw, commas, everywhere, you, want.
Don’t be, consistent.
Just do, stuff.
It’s, all random.
Or why even use any punctuation at all
After all no one is buying or not buying from you because you did or didnt use any punctuation marks in any of the copy that appears on your website sales documents or scopes of work
And they are just going to ghost you anyway
Okay, I am being extreme now.
But if there are three things you need to have a strong brand they are consistency, consistency, and consistency.
Final reasons to use the Oxford comma
Okay, I’ve given you an out here, but now let’s return to sanity and end with why you actually should always use the Oxford comma.
Here are the two big reasons:
- It always makes it clear exactly how many items are in your list.
- Not using it can cost you big time.
Next time you are thinking about not using the Oxford comma, just ask yourself this – would it be worth paying out $5 million because you didn’t want to use a little comma?
I can’t imagine any situation in which skipping a comma is worth $5 million.
Your principles aren’t worth that much.
What are your thoughts on the Oxford comma? Share your opinion in the comments!
