Oxford Commas & Why We Need Them

By Sara E Thompto

I, Sara Thompto, have a problem. A comma problem. I love a good comma, and use them whenever possible. Particularly the Oxford Comma, otherwise known as the Serial Comma.

As a journalism student I was taught not to use this comma - the Associate Press style manual warns against using it. In the world of journalism people tend to cut out commas whenever possible. Anything considered fluffy or unneeded should be the first thing to go to save space.

Then again, journalism is about being concise, not excessive, and  I’ll admit, the Oxford comma is all about the excess. Well, it may encourage excess anyway, as it only occurs during the listing of 3 or more terms.  

But, now that I’m not a journalism student anymore, I am a firm believer in the Oxford Comma. The Oxford Comma is all about saving confusion, something I’m a fan of doing. It takes a sentence that could be full of ambiguity and transforms it into something that just makes sense.

Take the magazine cover shown here. The cover reads:

Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog.  

This is obviously missing more than one comma, and should read:

Rachael Ray finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and her dog.

With the Oxford Comma in place it no longer seems like Ms. Ray is going to cook her family and dog. It just makes sense.

So the next time you ask yourself, “Should I put a comma there,” consider, what is more harmful:  a comma, or cooking your family.

*Image from Buzz Feed article, 22 Reasons Why Commas Are The Most Important Things in the World.