But no one takes any of the Marx brothers seriously.
With the oxford comma: we invited the stripper, jfk, and stalin.
Without the oxford comma: we invited the stripper, jfk and stalin.
Have fun with your JFK stripper.
Not even Punctuation Marx?
Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?
I prefer it but don’t have strong feelings about it. Just watch out for ambiguities and rewrite if necessary.
You mean like, “I said to the young lady, ‘How about coming up to my cave to see my erotic ivory carvings?’”
4 Copy Editors Killed In Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence
Yeah, I’ve seen those English drama’s too
I don’t even want to tell you about some of the arguments I’ve had with editors about hyphenation.
:mad:
yup
There have been many threads here on the topic and it basically boils down to what **Polycarp **said above. Here is a synopsis in the Unofficial GQ FAQ.
The better example (because it actually happened in print) is in the article Northern Piper linked to:
from a newspaper story about a documentary on Merle Haggard: “Among those interviewed were his two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall.”
This should help you understand why The Elements of Style is a complete failure. The book is a useful test - you are doing well with grammar and style if you can identify the errors in it.
Why don’t we solve the issue of parallel series that aren’t and then worry about the Oxford comma.
I’ve read this whole thread and I think I’m becoming commatose. (credit: James Thurber)
I can’t wait until you guys find out about the Oberlin Colon.
A little bit of ginger ale, and everything will be fine.
Thomas Kane, who in reality is the grammar boss: The Oxford Guide to Writing, ISBN 0-19-503245-4, at 627.
Just be consistent, with either of:[ul]
[li]Combined parataxis and coordination, or[/li][li]Completely paratatic, or[/li][li]Completely coordinated, or[/li][li]Commas and semicolons.[/li][/ul]
It’s not a complete failure and I can point you to several passages in that very article that says that. The vast majority of readers are users who are applying the style info that Pullam doesn’t like much but is not actually wrong and ignoring the grammar, which nobody really needs to care much about. The book is not for people who can spot the errors: it is for people who have no clue. It is written for its audience, unlike any of the many critical articles on it.
Nor does that article give a short, readable substitute that real people can and will use. Strunk and White is far, far better than nothing and nothing is the alternative.
Advice that is ignored is worthless. Advice that people cannot find is worthless. Advice that is in too complex a form is worthless.
Anything that people will use is priceless.