From the course: Writing with Proper Punctuation

When to use the Oxford or serial comma

From the course: Writing with Proper Punctuation

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When to use the Oxford or serial comma

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- If you've ever heard a story or a joke about a comma, it was probably the Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma or the series comma. It's the comma before the final "and" in a series of at least three elements, like red, white, and blue, and people love to fight about it. The satire site The Onion even posted a story about an Oxford comma rumble between two groups of editors. All this comma commotion is because the AP Stylebook, the style book used by the media and the public relations industry, tells its writers not to use the serial comma, whereas most other major style guides do require their writers to use it. People typically learn one way or the other as a rule, and believe that everyone else is doing it wrong. The main difference really only applies to the most simple sentences, though. If you're writing about the red, white, and blue cupcakes, you leave the comma out in AP style, and put it in with most other styles. But the Associated Press uses the serial comma in more complicated sentences, so in that way, it's just like all the other styles. For example, if you have series elements that use coordinating conjunctions, you always use a serial comma, no matter what style guide you follow. The cupcakes had white frosting, red and blue sprinkles, and multi-colored candles. And if you have a long sentence with multiple phrases in a series, you always use a serial comma in that too. The cupcakes were made by five parents in the class, delivered to the school before recess, and served to the children during lunch. So remember, if you have a series with at least three similar and simple elements, you use the serial comma, unless you're following AP style. And if you have a more complicated series, such as items that have an "and" between them, or a series of phrases, you always use the serial common there too.

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