As a writer, I have often been chastised by other writers about my excessive use of commas. I always push back, unrelenting, unless forced to comply with an editor expounding (and pounding on their desks) examples in their favorite style guides. It’s mostly a personal preference of mine, but it comes out of my years of experience struggling for clarity.
What is an Oxford comma?
The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is used as a delimiter in a list of three or more items in a sentence. For example, consider this sentence: “I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Napoleon Bonaparte.” Without the Oxford comma, the sentence suggests that Lady Gaga and Napoleon are my parents, which is certainly not the intent. A more serious example could be “Remove the database programs, the password file and the user list.” In this sentence, an uninformed reader might think that the password file and the user list are the database programs, which is incorrect.
Oxford comma to the rescue
Adding a comma—an Oxford comma—to these sentences improves their clarity: “I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Napoleon Bonaparte.” In this case, the writer clearly means they love their parents and two other individuals. “Remove the database programs, the password file, and the user list.” In this case, the reader will correctly understand that database programs as well as two specific files are to be removed. In both cases, the addition of the extra Oxford comma alleviates the ambiguity that might exist from the perspective of the reader, which was probably not apparent when the sentences were created by the writer.
Moreover, the Oxford comma contributes to the consistency of writing. In professional and academic contexts, maintaining uniformity in punctuation is important. A consistent use of the Oxford comma ensures that all lists are punctuated in the same manner, reducing the likelihood of misinterpretation. This is particularly important in legal and technical writing, where precision is paramount. The lack of a consistent punctuation style can lead to differing interpretations, which may have significant consequences. To a lesser degree, the use of the Oxford comma reflects the writer’s attention to detail, which is especially valuable in collaborative environments.
The case against the Oxford comma
Opponents might argue that, in many cases, the Oxford comma is unnecessary and can introduce redundancy and stylistic clutter to the prose. For example, consider this sentence: “We invited the clowns, the jugglers and the magicians.” In this case, the sentence clearly works without the extra comma. A more technical example could be: “Remove the capacitors, resistors and transistors from the faulty printed circuit boards.” This sentence also works without the Oxford comma.
Furthermore, the exclusion of the Oxford comma can lead to a cleaner writing style. Modern writing often favors brevity and efficiency, especially in journalistic and digital communication, where space and reader attention are limited.
My perspective
I find the arguments against the use of the Oxford comma weaker than the arguments for its use. As a “technical” writer, much of my work has been under the employ of smaller companies, in the absence of writing colleagues, editors, or anyone else with an interest or care about the style of writing, or even style guide usage. Their biggest concerns are accuracy and cost certainty. Before you roll your eyes, you can’t really blame companies of this ilk; technical writing is a necessary evil, an added cost—not just a cost, but a post-sales cost. At any rate, in these situations, I will always err on the side of clarity—an aptly placed Oxford comma can mean the difference between confusion and clarity. And in a technical environment, where users might only turn to the documentation when in a bind, clarity is monumentally important.
Some other great articles on Oxford comma usage: