Comma use in “I am passionate about X, whether it be …”

Question

I have trouble telling when I’m overusing commas. My question is if the comma between undertake and whether is needed:

I am passionate about the quality of work I undertake, whether it be school work, or cooking food in the kitchen.

Answer 1

Don't use commas to separate lists of two.

1. School work.
2. Cooking food.

I am passionate about the quality of work I undertake, whether it be school work or cooking food in the kitchen.

However, if you had a third item on the list, you'd want to add commas:

I am passionate about the quality of work I undertake, whether it be school work, or cooking food in the kitchen, or writing a report for my job.

While some argue that the third comma is not necessary, (the AP style book, for example, urges against it) I have found that it helps keep things organized and clear in many cases. I have had to reread sentences countless times due to what should be unnecessary ambiguity.

However, as one other user pointed out, adding the extra Oxford comma is not a panacea, and should be avoided when the grouping effect would otherwise create ambiguity. Ultimately, though, as the author, it is up to you to decide. There is no universal rule regarding the extra comma, and my bringing it up is only to give you some food for thought. For now, though, just know that your first comma is perfectly correct, and the second is not. :) Happy writing!

Answer 2

I concur with Nathaniel about the comma rules. However, there is an ambiguity in the sentence not yet addressed.

Consider this fragment:

...I undertake, whether it be school, work, or cooking ...

versus:

...I undertake, whether it be schoolwork or cooking...

This becomes less of a question about the use of the Oxford comma, and more about whether the writer meant to use the word schoolwork or was intending school and work to be thought of as two separate items in the list.

Additionally, while it is not grammatically incorrect to say "cooking food in the kitchen". It is, however, awkward. English, like most languages, has some built-in assumptions. Most native English speakers would not say "I enjoy cooking food in the kitchen."

If one says "I enjoy cooking", we would fill in the blanks and assume that you meant food, and that you do it in the kitchen.

We would feel free to fill out these details if there was something about it that was special. It's certainly worth going out of your way to say "I enjoy cooking wild game over an open fire."

Not trying to be difficult, just trying to advise on some of the things that English learners or young people might get hung up on.