Forum: Author Hangout

Missing Oxford comma

Switch Blayde 🚫

I'm an Oxford comma believer and am not going to try to convince anyone that it's correct, but here's an example from an article I just read that makes the argument for the comma. To understand the sentence, note the article is about basketball.

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, a league-best 10.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

Without the comma before the "and" it reads that he has a league best 10.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds. The 4.5 rebounds is what he's averaging, which is no way a league best. If the comma was there, that would be obvious.

Replies: Ernest Bywater awnlee jawking DBActive shinerdrinker

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@Switch Blayde

true, and it would be better with the rebounds before the assists.

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Switch Blayde

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, a league-best 10.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

With a little switcheroo, you could have a non-Oxford comma masquerade as an Oxford comma:

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 10.4 assists, a league-best, and 4.5 rebounds.

;-)

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@awnlee jawking

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 10.4 assists, a league-best, and 4.5 rebounds.

Well, you have a comma before the "and".

Replies: helmut_meukel

helmut_meukel 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Well, you have a comma before the "and".

That's why he wrote:

you could have a non-Oxford comma masquerade as an Oxford comma

This comma before the "and" is no Oxford comma, ist part of the pair of commas enclosing "a league-best".
The way he rearranged the sentence
"(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 10.4 assists, a league-best, and 4.5 rebounds."
the pair of commas could be replaced by em-dashs:
"(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 10.4 assists—a league-best—and 4.5 rebounds."

An Oxford comma is a comma separating the last two items of an enumeration while the last item is preceded by "and".

Sometimes an Oxford comma avoids ambiguity, e.g.
"most of the visitors were couples, we met Ann and Paul, Ellie and John, Fred, and Jack."
Without the Oxford comma you would probably see Fred and Jack as the third couple.

HM.

DBActive 🚫

@Switch Blayde

It doesn't need a comma. It needs to be rewritten.

shinerdrinker 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

Here is the original again...

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, a league-best 10.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

Personally, I think a rewrite of the sentence was necessary since the main fact to point out for the sentence was the assists. To me, that should have been accentuated at the end of the sentence.

(Chris) Paul is averaging 14.9 points on 48.9% shooting, 4.5 rebounds, and a league-best 10.4 assists.

Not only that but Grammarly is going nuts over the missing comma in the original sentence. And yes, I realize I can change that in the Grammarly settings but I'm a proponent of the Oxford comma. But on the other hand, I'm also a proponent of the increased use of the ellipsis. But that's just me.

--Shinerdrinker

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@shinerdrinker

Grammarly is going nuts over the missing comma in the original sentence.

That's because Grammarly is smart, like us. 😀

Replies: AmigaClone

AmigaClone 🚫

@Switch Blayde

That's because Grammarly is smart, like us. 😀

Grammarly can't tell the difference between May being used as an auxiliary verb, a month of the year, or a female given name.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@AmigaClone

Grammarly can't tell the difference between May being used as an auxiliary verb, a month of the year, or a female given name.

Didn't say it was a genius, just smart. (And the smily face meant it was said tongue-in-cheek)

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Didn't say it was a genius, just smart.

'Smart' is slowly becoming a deprecatory adjective these days. Smart motorways, Smart cars, smart meters, smartphones, smart TV etc.

I'd feel insulted if someone called me 'smart' ;-)

AJ

Replies: Switch Blayde Dominions Son

Switch Blayde 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I'd feel insulted if someone called me 'smart' ;-)

OUCH! That smarts.

Dominions Son 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Smart cars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(marque)

Would have been more accurate to call it the Fart Car. :)

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Missing Oxford comma

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