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The Oxford Comma By M. Brandon Robbins The comma is one of the most versatile items in the writer's tool box; employing one can turn a philosophical question ("What is the thing called love?") into an inquiry asked of a significant other ("What is thing called, love?"). As Lynne Truss points out in her best-selling book Eats, Shoots and Leaves, the placement of a comma can cause debates over theology: "Verily, I say unto thee, this day Thou shalt be with me in Paradise" and "Verily, I say unto thee this day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise" are two different sentences after all. In fact, it's the comma that's the star of the joke that this book's title is based upon. But as versatile as the comma is-- and just how many sentences depend on the careful placement of the comma we'll never know-- there is one special type of comma that serves a very direct purpose and can only further complicate an intricate sentence if used inappropriately. It's the serial comma, or if you prefer a more dignified name, the Oxford comma. We all know that when writing lists, we separate each item in the list with a comma and use the word "and" before the final item. Generally, a comma is not needed before the word "and" but is optional. When one is used, it is referred to as a serial/Oxford comma. For the most part, a sentence is neither helped nor hindered by an Oxford comma. But under certain circumstances it is necessary to use one to give clarity to a sentence; it's also handy for slowing down the pace of an accelerated sentence or for dramatic effect. Take the following sentence that we might find in a text message sent from a college student to his roommate with the intent of helping him decide if the trip to the cafeteria is worth it: Today, the choices are chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, pasta with sauce and Italian sausage.It would be reasonable to assume that the last item on the menu is pasta and sauce mixed with pieces of Italian sausage, a dish that the student may very well enjoy. But what if he gets to the cafeteria and finds that in fact, he cannot have pasta and sauce served up with chunks of Italian sausage, but his choice is either pasta or Italian sausage. And let's say the student only has enough money to buy one or the other. If the student takes his lunch seriously enough, this could lead to trouble for the person sending the message. A serial comma could have saved the day and cleared up this unpleasant misunderstanding: The choices today are chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, pasta with sauce, and Italian sausage.The Oxford comma clearly separates the pasta dish from the sausage dish, so the student knows exactly what he can expect when he enters the cafeteria. After all, college students do in fact take their eating very seriously-- or at least are always looking for an excuse to stage a revenge-driven practical joke. So it's important to be very clear about the cafeteria offerings. And it should be equally important to be very clear about
the contents of any lists. I always, without fail, employ the Oxford comma using
this type of list, unless the last two items are intended to be a set. It's
never incorrect to do so, and it never hinders the reader's understanding-- in
fact it can only help it. We've all encountered (and written) those breathless sentences that may be punctuated properly but seem to go on for days nevertheless. Properly placed commas can break these sentences into more manageable parts, and Oxford commas can keep a list from looking like a list. In a memoir about someone having her home robbed, the speaker may give the following sentence: The burglar smashed open the plate-glass window, rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen, made his way upstairs and into our bedroom, plundered my jewelry box and stole my engagement ring.The sentence is technically correct and even easily understandable as is. As stated before, Oxford commas are not required. And even though the last two items in the set are separate they are noticeably severed from each other: stealing the engagement ring is an effect of plundering the jewelry box. There's no way they could be the same action. But it's also a long sentence. Each item on the list is a long phrase, with the final phrase being exceptionally long. Sure, it has lots of interesting verbs with all the rummaging and plundering going on. And it handily combines numerous smaller sentences into one, evading a choppy and repetitive style. Regardless, it's a big chunk of words with a tempo that's too quick for its own good. An Oxford comma would slow it down at the end, bringing its breathless pace to an easy end while still accomplishing all the things it accomplishes now. It would break up the last phrase, giving the reader some relief from the long entries in the list and give him a chance to catch his breath. The Oxford comma in this sentence would also have another effect as well: it would create a pause before the final four words, driving home the impact of the action described. An engagement ring is a precious thing after all, and having an engagement ring stolen is not something that one would throw into a sentence without a second thought. It's something that the speaker of this sentence may have to take a breath before stating aloud, because stating it aloud would make it true. Maybe her eyes would start to water or she hated the way the words sounded. Any of these would generate a pause in speech: the Oxford comma would create that pause, making the prose more true-to-life. A serial comma (and the dramatic pause that it creates) can also change the emotion of a sentence, altering the feeling that it conveys. Remember that college student that liked pasta served with tomato sauce and Italian sausage? He's gone home for the first time since leaving for school, and on Sunday night it's time for him to head back. He packed his bags, took them to the car, kissed his mom goodbye and drove away.That sounds awfully matter-of-fact, as if going back to school after his first weekend home was no big deal. Maybe it wasn't; but maybe the writer wanted to get across the point that he wasn't so ready to leave. Of course, adding something like "with tears in his eyes" to the end of the sentence would get the point across, but just tacking that phrase on would make it read just like what it is: a tacked on phrase intended to get across an emotion. Adding an Oxford comma would create a whole new effect, allowing the whole sequence of events to build to a crescendo before striking upon the final melancholy finish. Think of all the songs you've ever heard with a pause before the final note or chord. Because of that pause, that note or chord was isolated, left all alone to resonate and stick with the listener. In writing, words are no different. He packed his bags, took them to the car, kissed him mom goodbye, and drove away with tears in his eyes.The final item in the list is now no longer just the last thing to happen in a sequence of events: it's now something that the character was not looking forward to, something he wanted to put off until the last minute. And it's also something that more readily stands out in the reader's mind: an image that sticks with them. Punctuation is just as important in clear, effective writing as the words of a piece themselves, but it's not just for telling the reader when they can stop to take a breath. It's also there for creating effect and mood, for bringing depth and liveliness to writing. The serial (or Oxford) comma is a prime example of this, as it can greatly alter the meaning of a sentence, the ease of which prose is read, and the impact the text has on a reader. This special comma is a useful tool for all kinds of writing tricks.
M. Brandon Robbins loves to see people take up the craft of writing, and despite his limited credentials (being a book reviewer for Library Journal, writing for WomenGamers.com and Associated Content, and having a few short stories published through various very small presses) he's more than happy to help new writers get the ball rolling. He lives in Goldsboro, NC, is trying ot find a n agent for his first novel, and is currently reading Misery. |
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