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8 5

This is exactly the comma that got me the nickname The Comma Nazi at two colleges!

[cnn.com]

#oxfordcomma
EllenDale 7 Feb 10
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0

Level 7

No to the Oxford Comma!
And "more than" does not equal "over!"

@phil21 I'm unsure where you got those two references hence I'm unsure of their context, so I'm unable to respond in any way.

@EllenDale You assume responding has to be sensical. Nah.
But, since you asked, Associated Press style has always been, no Oxford comma and that you should write "more than 3,000," as opposed to "over 3,000." That "rule" was recently changed.

So, yeah, that.

@phil21 Before I retired, Associated Press "style" wasn't recognized. However, employers can omit it all they want. Writers know it should be used, but in this day and age of saving the millionth of a penny it costs to print it, I can see why it's omitted. The biggest thing is CONSISTENCY, which apparently AP doesn't care about either. If I cared, I would be sprouting gray hair. As it is, it began late -- at 60.

@EllenDale Care is a rather strong word. I am being sarcastic, mainly. I think people need to make their meaning clear, regardless of commas and some word choices.

@phil21 I am a huge, huge Jonathan Swift fan! I apologise but nothing compares to his ability to write irony! A Modest Propoisal and Gullivers Travels are two favorites! Which is the epitome of his sardonic humor!

@EllenDale Never too late.
1

Level 7

I have a post on my timeline from a few months ago , that rated me as being somewhere between Christopher Walkin , & William Shatner when it comes to using commas , but I can't find it 😠

Dougy Level 7 Feb 11, 2018
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@Douglas Is that good or bad? Comparison to Shatner would piss me off.

@EllenDale There were 3-4 different people in the list . Walkin & Shatner were at the most in using commas . I'm "Still" looking for it ! I mean , if I can't find something on my timeline , what's the sense in having one ?!?!😟
2

Level 4

Oh MAN! I gotta take another look at my contract! 😉

Cosmo_Blues Good luck! Lol
1

Level 9

It's about consistency for me. One either uses the comma or doesn't. What bugs me is writers who use it in some sentences and not in others. When I wrote for AP it drove me nuts because the editors would add and subtract them depending on whether or not they considered it crucial to understanding a particular sentence. It would appear and disappear making me look like I had no idea how to write a list, not to mention an article.

@EricTrommater The number one rule is CONSISTENCY. Use it every time, or don't every time. If it is used every time before the last item in a series, you will always be correct.

2

Level 8

I understand why newspapers omit the Oxford comma, for space savings, but I use it everywhere else. The AP says to omit it unless the meaning would be confusing or ambiguous otherwise — but why second-guess? Just add it all the time and you'll never have to try to figure out whether it can be read in a manner other than what you intended. I'm a big fan of consistency in writing for the sake of conveying clear meaning, and the consistent use of the Oxford comma seems to me to be a good implementation of that principle.

@desserts You are 100% correct. Always be consistent; always be clear. Why second guess, indeed!
1

Level 7

sorta like the papparzzi ?

@markdevenish Paparazzi? I don't understand. Please dumb it down for me 🙂
1

Level 9

This comma had lead to the enrichment of more lawyers than I care to think about. It really has the power to change the interpretation of a whole sentence. There are many instances of incorrect usuage. I'm glad the drivers got their OT. As to the other jobs exempt from OT, well, that's just bullshit. Hire more help.

@silverotter11 I was a legal secretary before I taught, and I made comma corrections in form letters all the time!
1

Level 8

That comma belongs there!!!!

@NothinnXpreVails Exactly. I forced every one of my students to use it in their writing. I told them if their employer tells them not to put it, fine. But in my class, put it in or be marked down.
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