An Argument for the Oxford Comma

People I know sometimes look to me for advice on grammar. "You were an English major," they say. While I remember grammar rules and can normally help, I don't consider myself any more qualified than anyone else to give advice, because my degree is actually for literature. Besides, if my time studying lit in college taught me anything, it's that the rules for writing are fluid at best. Some of the best writers of all time bent the grammar rules or even broke them entirely. This is not to say I believe grammar rules are unnecessary. I firmly believe there's a distinct difference between E.E. Cummings writing exclusively in lower case, Lewis Carroll writing "Jabberwocky," and the stuff that ends up on this site: The Best Responses to Misspellings on Facebook. The grammar rules we were taught in elementary school can prevent confusion and occasionally keep you from looking downright stupid. It's with this in mind that I bring you a most convincing argument for the Oxford comma:

Source.

The Oxford comma is considered optional, but you can see here that it does lend clarity to just who was invited to the party. In this case, leaving it out could cause some... ambiguity. Either way, using it or not is up to you (or your persnickety English teacher). I'll have you know though, if the Internet is to be believed, Hugh Jackman finds the Oxford comma sexy. I hope you enjoyed your little grammar lesson. If you'd like to see more grammar and literature related funnies, visit my Pinterest board: I'm an English Major