Serial comma - Revision history

Progressingamerica at 05:05, February 9, 2021

2021-02-09T05:05:55Z

DavidB4-bot: /* See also */clean up & uniformity

2016-07-12T06:47:56Z

WesleyS: cat

2009-03-23T19:22:14Z

cat

Iduan: serial comma

2009-03-22T20:00:31Z

serial comma

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A '''serial comma''' is a comma placed before a conjunction in a series. Style guides disagree<ref>{{cite web|work=About.com|url=http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/QAoxfordcomma.htm|title=What is the Oxford (or Serial) Comma?|author=Richard Nordquist|language=English}}</ref> on its usage; however American newspapers rarely use it, as it wastes space. The AP stylebook dictates that commas should be placed before conjunctions in a series only if a series item contains a conjunction (like peanut butter ''and'' jelly - which is one item) or if the series is complex. Sometimes, a serial comma can remove ambiguity, such as in the sentence "This book is dedicated to my roommates, Nicole Kidman, and God." Were the serial comma to be removed, the sentence could be read to imply that Kidman and God were both the writer's roommates. Other times, the comma can create ambiguity, such as in the series "Betty, a maid, and a rabbit". This sentence could be read to mean that Betty is a maid, or the maid could be the second item in the series.
==References==
<references/>
==See Also==
*[[Punctuation mark]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:22, March 23, 2009
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	==See Also==		==See Also==
	*[[Punctuation mark]]		*[[Punctuation mark]]
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-A '''serial comma''' is a comma placed before a conjunction in a series. Style guides disagree<ref>{{cite web|work=About.com|url=http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/QAoxfordcomma.htm|title=What is the Oxford (or Serial) Comma?|author=Richard Nordquist|language=English}}</ref> on its usage; however American newspapers rarely use it, as it wastes space. The AP stylebook dictates that commas should be placed before conjunctions in a series only if a series item contains a conjunction (like peanut butter ''and'' jelly - which is one item) or if the series is complex. Sometimes, a serial comma can remove ambiguity, such as in the sentence "This book is dedicated to my roommates, Nicole Kidman, and God." Were the serial comma to be removed, the sentence could be read to imply that Kidman and God were both the writer's roommates. Other times, the comma can create ambiguity, such as in the series "Betty, a maid, and a rabbit". This sentence could be read to mean that Betty is a maid, or the maid could be the second item in the series.
+A '''serial comma''' is a comma placed before a conjunction in a series. Style guides disagree<ref>{{cite web|work=About.com|url=http://grammar.about.com/od/grammarfaq/f/QAoxfordcomma.htm|title=What is the Oxford (or Serial) Comma?|author=Richard Nordquist|language=English}}</ref> on its usage; however American newspapers rarely use it, as it wastes space. The [[AP Stylebook]] dictates that commas should be placed before conjunctions in a series only if a series item contains a conjunction (like peanut butter ''and'' jelly - which is one item) or if the series is complex. Sometimes, a serial comma can remove ambiguity, such as in the sentence "This book is dedicated to my roommates, Nicole Kidman, and God." Were the serial comma to be removed, the sentence could be read to imply that Kidman and God were both the writer's roommates. Other times, the comma can create ambiguity, such as in the series "Betty, a maid, and a rabbit". This sentence could be read to mean that Betty is a maid, or the maid could be the second item in the series.
 ==References==
 <references/>
 ==See also==
 *[[Punctuation mark]]
 [[Category:Punctuation]]