No one would say “I like strawberries, cream”, for example: they would say “I like strawberries AND cream”.Using the serial comma can sometimes be wrong (“I love my father, Elvis, and God”, which suggests that Elvis is my father); similarly, omitting the serial comma can sometimes be wrong (“I love my parents, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe”, which suggests that Elvis and Marilyn are my parents). Having said that, I accept that for American writers it may not be clear. Opinions among writers and editors differ on whether to use the serial comma, and usage also differs somewhat between regional varieties of English. Opinions among writers and editors differ on whether to use the serial comma, and usage also differs somewhat between Many sources are against both systematic use and systematic avoidance of the serial comma, making recommendations in a more nuanced way (see Omitting the serial comma may create ambiguity. Use a serial comma (also called an Oxford comma, Harvard comma, or series comma) between elements in a series of three or more items. In fact, the example you give is not at all ambiguous and it is the first time I have heard of this point of view. Serial Comma (Oxford Comma) As mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should separate each element of the list.
At one time the Brits did use it, but without wanting to get all historical, let’s just make sure we get this right.– “Do you want to go to the park, the shops or the cinema”? The differences between British English and American English may not seem that great on face value, and that may be the case for spoken English, but writing is an entirely different ball game. Your example above is flawed, because in “I like strawberries, chocolate and custard”, no one thinks that “chocolate and custard” is a unit – for there is no conjunction before it. by David Becker. People often presume the differences are limited to basic disciplines like the use of ‘Z’ instead of ‘S’ occasionally, but there are more complicated things to look out for. I’m teaching English writing classes in China and couldn’t figure out some of the obvious (to me) quirks of my students’ writing. The rest of the time, it’s up to you (but please be consistent).
One such thing is the serial comma, a naughty little comma that has become the subject of much debate across the web and between publishing houses worldwide.The serial comma is an extra comma you will often see placed before “and/or” in US based English. it is amusing to see an unnecessarily split infinitive in a “strongly” felt grammatical preference, in this case a regional (American) one. When I learned about serial commas back in elementary school, A was an American style for serial commas. Though I left Britain 40 years ago, the Oxford comma is still a little foreign to me, but a North American edition of a book of mine first published in Australia had plenty of them added. Note too the missing dot “.” after Mr.To be honest I am consistent in the use of the serial comma. So in this case neither the serial-comma style nor the no-serial-comma style resolves the ambiguity.
Your advice quite literally proved to be a ‘life-saver’.Your implication is that UK English is in error for avoiding the blanket use of the serial comma.
This is not true. B was an older British convention. June 27, 2011. in Technical Writing. This week we address the serial comma, seventh in the list of the Top 10 most common APA Style errors as identified by Onwuegbuzie, Combs, Slate, and Frels (2010).. Also known as the Oxford comma, the serial comma is the final comma in a list of three items or more, and it is used immediately before and, or, and occasionally nor.For example, if Simon & Garfunkel had … I finally came to the point where I told them they had to be aware of who their audience would be and write in a style that would make sense to them!Hi Jean. For example “Dear Mr Smith” in a business email has lost the comma. This is ambiguous because it is unclear whether "a maid" is an leaves the possibility that Betty is both a maid and a cook (with "a maid and a cook" read as a unit, in apposition to Betty). To me, as one whose editing and teaching has had to adapt to both U.S. and World English (which we should realise/realize is not only British but also Indian, Singaporean, New Zealand, South African etc.) How to use serial comma in a sentence. 4th Ed. I have always followed A. I clearly recall reading an article last year about how the American serial comma (A) was gaining ground against the Oxford comma (B). The serial comma (also known as the “Oxford comma” in the UK) is a comma placed before the last item in a list of three or more things. ? However, I am seeing an increasing number of US books published without the extra comma in a series. Yes, it is very difficult to get to grips with seeing that extra comma if you are British, yet for many Americans, this has been a regular feature in their writing from a young age. Things have switched. An example collected by Nielsen Hayden was found in a newspaper account of a documentary about A serial comma following "Kris Kristofferson" would help prevent this being understood as Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall being the ex-wives in question.
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