Dear Diary – the Oxford Comma.

May 22, 2020.

The Oxford comma is a subject I have failed to write 100 words about despite all my attempts over the past three days. How could a few words be so onerous?

For want of a topic, today, we die here!

There’s this punctuation called the “Oxford comma,” used before the last item in a list. You see, this comma is as useless as the “P” in “Psychology,” yet it helps to avoid ambiguity. As a matter of grammar, I advise you to use it.

For example: “We invited the rams, Sule, and Akpos.” “We invited the rams, Sule and Akpos.”

In the first example, it’s clear that we’re talking about two people called Sule and Akpos as well as more than one ram. In the second example, however, the lack of the comma makes it sound as though the rams’ names are Sule and Akpos.

Though redundant, it clears the sentence.

Don’t be a Lagbaja; I know you don’t want to sound rude!

Sincerely,

For more on grammar, see https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/punctuation-rules.html

For previous post see http://oluwatoyosiabikoye.com/index.php/2020/05/10/dear-diary-this-is-the-story-of-ediye/