Questions tagged [oxford-comma]
The oxford-comma tag has no usage guidance.
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Serial comma in University of Oxford Style Guide and the house style of OUP
On p. 13 of the University of Oxford Style Guide, Hilary term 2016 we see
✔ I ate fish, bread, ice cream and spaghetti.
✔ I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
Note ...
0
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0answers
15 views
Regarding Punctuation [duplicate]
Which of the following is correct ?
1) A, B, C and D
2) A, B, C, and D
1
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0answers
31 views
Comma - American versus British, Really? [duplicate]
So, from my writing infancy, my High School Teacher Mom taught me never to place a comma before the conjunction in any list of more than 2 things and yet there seems to be quite some debate about it, ...
3
votes
2answers
326 views
Oxford comma with nonessential phrases
So, I've got the following list containing a nonessential phrase ("ultimately"), non-Oxford comma:
stifling curiosity, creativity and, ultimately, progress.
Is it then correct, when converted to ...
1
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1answer
76 views
What is the two-item list equivalent of the Oxford comma?
I was recently told that the Oxford comma is only for lists with three or more items. A preliminary search confirms this, as far as I can tell. I'm wondering if there is an equivalent word for a comma ...
0
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0answers
30 views
Comma before the words 'the' and 'if' read with a pause [duplicate]
Wouldn't it depend on how you would say it? If a pause is needed to be clear, shouldn't there be a comma?
0
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1answer
447 views
Please, is a comma required after the word 'lists'?
I have written many poems, topped lists and helped other poets.
Also, is a comma required after the word 'wells' here?
I spent years trimming flowers, digging wells and doing dishes.
6
votes
1answer
147 views
Is the solution of the Maine Legislature to the Oxford Comma Case…clunky?
The Oxford Comma Case (Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, ME vs its drivers) has been settled for five million dollars. According to The New York Times
The relatively small-scale dispute gained ...
1
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0answers
287 views
Using “and” multiple times within a list
The sentence in question is:
Today I went to the store, bought eggs, cheese, and milk, and bread.
Is it ever proper to write the first and? Other cases I find use the and to connect one thing ...
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2answers
267 views
Serial comma causing ambiguity [duplicate]
EDIT: This question is not addressed by Oxford Comma Conventions, if I'm wrong, then please provide a link to a particular answer or comment that does address my question. (Such links appear in ...
0
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2answers
116 views
What punctuation should I use? [closed]
What punctuation should I use here?
Hester needs to be more grateful and focus on: her baby, Pearl; and her sewing.
0
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1answer
193 views
Using 'and' in an incomplete list
For my CV, I want to list a selection of units I have done at university. This list is not a complete list of all my units. Do I therefore need to add an 'and' at the end of the list? What I mean is:
...
1
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2answers
57 views
What's the best way to solve this run on sentence (lots of “and”s)?
I have to change a description for something in our app, and I was given this sentence:
Create, edit and delete camera assignments and camera and DVR settings.
Now the lack of an Oxford comma is ...
8
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3answers
7k views
Is there an “Oxford semicolon”?
I must admit that I don't use semicolon lists very often. (In some instances, I probably should have.) I will also admit that I'm neither-here-nor-there with the use of an Oxford comma. Sometimes I ...
4
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0answers
5k views
The Oxford Comma and its relation to a list with only two entries. [closed]
The sentence is as follows:
I work in disaster management and prevention, and international aid and development.
2 Questions:
Can a list include just two entries as above?
Can the Oxford comma be ...
1
vote
2answers
329 views
Does this sentence contain two independent clauses?
I am trying to determine how to write the following sentence correctly:
"We all have goals we would like to accomplish and dreams we would like to fulfill."
I am not sure if I should add a comma ...
-1
votes
1answer
62 views
use of comma in a series [duplicate]
In a series of three items (e,g. "I have a big, a small and a medium sized dog."), do you include a comma after the second item in the series and before the conjunction (in this example after the word ...
4
votes
1answer
10k views
Is there a comma *after* a list with an Oxford comma?
Explanations of the Oxford comma often use examples that either consist of the list alone or a sentence that ends in a list, e.g.:
red, white, and blue
To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.
What is ...
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1answer
508 views
Should there be a comma in this sentence? [closed]
In the introduction to The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins there is the following sentence: "The correct word of the title to stress is 'gene' and let me explain why."
I thought that since and ...
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0answers
538 views
Punctuation and Intonation in Enumerations Occurring in Mathematics
Here, John Lawler writes the following:
Commas are not determined by grammar or by which words they follow. Comma indicates a particular intonation. If you would use that intonation in speaking the ...
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1answer
230 views
Is comma needed before 'and' in this sentence?
We use comma in lists. Apart from that, comma is needed before and when joining two independent clauses. For example: I want to write, and I have stamps. Here I am clearly joining two independent ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views
Using commas to connect independent clauses
I know that it is correct to connect independent clauses using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) as in "He rides a bike, and she drives a car."
But is it ...
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1answer
394 views
When “and” is used two different ways in a sentence . . .
I know it is not correct to put a comma before "and" if the subject is the same but I feel like I should do so if "and" appears earlier in the sentence like this:
He was convicted of murder and human ...
3
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2answers
995 views
Is 'Oxford Comma' Capitalised?
I was taught in primary school that a common noun refers to a thing, idea, person, etc. whereas a proper noun refers to a specific thing, idea, person, etc. and that when referring to specifics and ...
1
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1answer
554 views
Quoting text that omits Oxford commas in a paper that includes Oxford commas
I'm writing a paper, and I quote several lists from a source that doesn't use Oxford commas. Sic seems way too strong for the situation, since there's no real error in the quotes, just a different ...
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2answers
83 views
The use of comma before 'and'
Here's a sentence that's quite confusing to me:
You should provide a strategy that is based on the criteria specified in the document,and a formula calculating the return.
What are the two parts ...
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2answers
2k views
Too many “ands” in one sentence create ambiguity
Cloning must be researched and funded, however, its human involvement must be limited to prevent a veritable onslaught of ethical and legal battles, and promote its potential health and societal ...
0
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3answers
63 views
Comma or not in “help people discover, and grow in, faith”
There is some difference in opinion whether or not the below sentence should have the commas as shown or not. Are there any rules that this would be based on? Do they make the sentence clearer? Any ...
0
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2answers
108 views
Contract interpretation
To be eligible for holiday pay the employee must meet the following requirement: the employee must have worked the last scheduled day before, and the first scheduled day after a holiday except when ...
0
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1answer
553 views
Should there be a comma between 'you' and 'darling' here? [duplicate]
Should there be a comma after you in the following sentence?
Here's to you darling.
2
votes
2answers
654 views
Comma with dates - oddity
I KNOW the rule is to put a comma after full dates, but in this case, it seems to be a bit much: "...the contract runs from July 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016, and should be amended as such. Because ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
What commas rule is used here?
I have a question regarding how the rules of commas apply in a particular sentence. I cannot seem to work out what rules go with the following excerpt:
The desert savanna of the Neolithic Period, ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
Serial comma in a list of verbs [closed]
I'm writing a text according to APA standards. The rule regarding serial commas states "Use a comma between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items."
Does this also ...
1
vote
1answer
530 views
Commas, subject and verb
In my understanding, the use of a comma is needed when you are connecting two sentences, which both need there own subject and verb. With that said, in the sentence below:
"The best mindset is to ...
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0answers
33 views
when wishing someone a happy birthday is a comma used before their name? [duplicate]
When wishing someone a happy birthday is a comma used before their name?
Happy Birthday, John
Happy Birthday John
1
vote
1answer
350 views
Comma before conjuctions in predicates containing two coordinate clauses
I know that a comma is necessary before a conjunction joining two independent clauses, like in the following examples:
John is tall, and Mary is fast.
The food is excellent, but the service is ...
2
votes
1answer
394 views
Two pairs of items and three times and. How to put the comma?
I'm just proofreading my thesis a last time and I stumbled upon the following (I'm nonnative english speaker):
To describe the flow of two fluids with saturations S and T and pressures P and Q, we ....
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1answer
19k views
Use of commas around 'though'
With regard to the use of commas around 'though', which of the following is correct or deemed more appropriate?
'It is interesting, though, as I've done a lot of work in...'
'It is interesting though, ...
1
vote
2answers
232 views
where should the comma be if the clause is not independent?
I have heard this about the comma before and.
Generally speaking, you want to use a comma in sentences made of two
independent clauses connected by one of the following seven
coordinating ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Comma usage dilemma
What I want to say is that the church would be your hospital, the holy water would be your medicine, and the priest would be your doctor. But since "would be" seems too overused and redundant in the ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
Comma or no comma before the word “and” [duplicate]
I'm curious about whether to use comma before "and". Some people told me that using comma to connect two different sentences and two different subjects.
Please provide some examples to explain the ...
0
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3answers
795 views
Comma separating subordinating clauses
I'm a software developer and occasionally write user documentation and project proposals for my boss. I've been running into a punctuation problem recently that I've been unable to solve. I have a ...
20
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10answers
10k views
I don't like potatoes or ice-cream [closed]
I am struggling to find the correct grammar for a fairly simple sentence.
"I don't like potatoes or ice-cream".
This appears to be incorrect because it is a contraction of the two clauses "I don't ...
4
votes
4answers
66k views
Should there be a comma after 'and'?
This is a bit of a strange question because I know that there should never ever be a comma after 'and.' But what if there's a parenthetical statement/clause-thing right after it? Let me demonstrate.
...
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4answers
8k views
Comma before “and so”
I encountered the following two examples:
Moreover, the proposed scheme is designed in an ID-based setting and so the necessity for certificates and some related problems are eliminated.
Our ...
0
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1answer
87 views
Do I need a comma?
Note that I'm supposed to use Oxford comma. Now do I need a comma at the place of the question mark?
When such change adversely affects the system, vulnerability increases[?]
and a banking crisis ...
4
votes
1answer
782 views
Usage of the Oxford Comma with “and”
I was told that this sentence is correct with the usage of a comma before and after the word and. I want to correct my grammar if I am in error.
To claim a prize, send a Private Message to me ...
2
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1answer
572 views
“If this, and if that.” With or without Comma?
I’ll appreciate it if you wash the car, and if you take out the trash.
Should I use a comma before and, or not?
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1answer
2k views
Comma in “still is, and will always remain”
Manchester United still is and will always remain a force despite these setbacks.
Do I need a comma after is here? I personally don't think so but would like to be sure.
0
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2answers
2k views
Is a comma before a conjunction optional, or old? (not talking about lists) [duplicate]
I have been corrected several times recently for putting a comma before a conjunction in a sentence (splitting phrases, not items in a list). To each their own style guide, but my understanding was ...
