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class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Arguments for and against</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Arguments_for_and_against-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Ambiguity" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ambiguity"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Ambiguity</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Ambiguity-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Ambiguity subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Ambiguity-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-In_general" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_general"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>In general</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_general-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Recommendations_by_style_guides" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Recommendations_by_style_guides"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Recommendations by style guides</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Recommendations_by_style_guides-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Recommendations by style guides subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Recommendations_by_style_guides-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Mainly_American_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mainly_American_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Mainly American style guides supporting mandatory or typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mainly_American_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mainly_American_style_guides_opposing_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mainly_American_style_guides_opposing_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Mainly American style guides opposing typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mainly_American_style_guides_opposing_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mainly_British_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Mainly British style guides supporting mandatory or typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_opposing_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mainly_British_style_guides_opposing_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.4</span> <span>Mainly British style guides opposing typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_opposing_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_that_consider_it_generally_unnecessary_but_discretionary" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Mainly_British_style_guides_that_consider_it_generally_unnecessary_but_discretionary"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.5</span> <span>Mainly British style guides that consider it generally unnecessary but discretionary</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Mainly_British_style_guides_that_consider_it_generally_unnecessary_but_discretionary-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Australian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Australian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.6</span> <span>Australian style guides opposing typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Australian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Canadian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Canadian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.7</span> <span>Canadian style guides opposing typical use</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Canadian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Individual_disputes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Individual_disputes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Individual disputes</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Individual_disputes-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Individual disputes subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Individual_disputes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Maine_labor_dispute" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Maine_labor_dispute"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1</span> <span>Maine labor dispute</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Maine_labor_dispute-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-British_50p_Brexit_coin" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#British_50p_Brexit_coin"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>British 50p Brexit coin</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-British_50p_Brexit_coin-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> 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class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koma_serial" title="Koma serial – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Koma serial" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgola_seriale" title="Virgola seriale – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Virgola seriale" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przecinek_oksfordzki" title="Przecinek oksfordzki – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Przecinek oksfordzki" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" 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.hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Oxford Comma" redirects here. For the song, see <a href="/wiki/Oxford_Comma_(song)" title="Oxford Comma (song)">Oxford Comma (song)</a>.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/English_punctuation" title="English punctuation">English-language punctuation</a>, the <b>serial comma</b>, also referred to as the <b>series comma</b>, <b>Oxford comma</b>, or <b>Harvard comma</b>,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is a <a href="/wiki/Comma" title="Comma">comma</a> placed immediately after the penultimate term and before the <a href="/wiki/Coordinating_conjunction" class="mw-redirect" title="Coordinating conjunction">coordinating conjunction</a> (<i>and</i> or <i>or</i>) in a series of three or more terms.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For instance, a list of three countries might be punctuated without the serial comma as "France, Italy and Spain" or with the serial comma as "France, Italy, and Spain". The serial comma can serve to avoid ambiguity in specific contexts, though its employment may also generate ambiguity under certain circumstances.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Usage of the serial comma varies among writers and editors and also varies among the <a href="/wiki/Regional_varieties_of_English" class="mw-redirect" title="Regional varieties of English">regional varieties of English</a>. <a href="/wiki/British_English" title="British English">British English</a> allows both the inclusion and omission of this comma,<sup id="cite_ref-shoots_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-shoots-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> whereas in <a href="/wiki/American_English" title="American English">American English</a> the comma is common and even considered mandatory by several <a href="/wiki/Style_guide" title="Style guide">style guides</a>, with the <a href="/wiki/APA_style" title="APA style">APA style</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i><a href="/wiki/The_Chicago_Manual_of_Style" title="The Chicago Manual of Style">The Chicago Manual of Style</a></i>, <i><a href="/wiki/Garner%27s_Modern_American_Usage" class="mw-redirect" title="Garner's Modern American Usage">Garner's Modern American Usage</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-Garner3_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Garner3-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/William_Strunk_Jr." title="William Strunk Jr.">Strunk</a> and <a href="/wiki/E._B._White" title="E. B. White">White</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style" title="The Elements of Style">The Elements of Style</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-Strunk_&_White_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Strunk_&_White-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the <i><a href="/wiki/U.S._Government_Printing_Office" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Government Printing Office">U.S. Government Printing Office</a> Style Manual</i><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> either recommending or requiring it. In contrast, the <i><a href="/wiki/Associated_Press_Stylebook" class="mw-redirect" title="Associated Press Stylebook">Associated Press Stylebook</a></i> and <i>The New York Times Style Book</i><sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> advise against its use. <a href="/wiki/The_Canadian_Press" title="The Canadian Press">The Canadian Press</a> stylebook in Canada similarly recommends against its employment. The majority of British style guides do not mandate its use, with <i><a href="/wiki/The_Economist" title="The Economist">The Economist</a> Style Guide</i> noting that most British writers use it solely to avert ambiguity.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Notably, <i><a href="/wiki/The_Oxford_Style_Manual" class="mw-redirect" title="The Oxford Style Manual">The Oxford Style Manual</a></i> advocates it (hence the name, "Oxford comma").<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, the <i>University of Oxford Style Guide</i> (2014 edition) recommends against indiscriminate use.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><i>The Oxford Companion to the English Language</i> notes: "Usage varies as to the inclusion of a comma before <i>and</i> in the last item. ... This practice is controversial and is known as the serial comma or Oxford comma, because it is part of the house style of Oxford University Press."<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The comma itself is widely attributed to <a href="/wiki/Aldus_Manutius" title="Aldus Manutius">Aldus Manutius</a>, a 15th-century Italian printer who used a mark—now recognized as a comma—to separate words.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Etymologically, the word <i>comma</i>, which became widely used to describe Manutius's mark, comes from the Greek <span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text"><span lang="grc">κόμμα</span></span> <abbr style="font-size:85%" title="literal translation">lit.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span><span class="gloss-text">to cut off</span><span class="gloss-quot">'</span>.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <i>Oxford comma</i> has been used for centuries in a variety of languages, though not necessarily in a uniform or regulated manner.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The Oxford comma is most often attributed to <a href="/wiki/Horace_Hart" title="Horace Hart">Horace Hart</a>, the printer and controller of the <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a> from 1893 to 1915. Hart wrote the eponymous <i><a href="/wiki/Hart%27s_Rules_for_Compositors_and_Readers" class="mw-redirect" title="Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers">Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers</a></i> in 1905 as a style guide for the employees working at the press.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The guide called for the use of the serial comma,<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> but the punctuation mark had no distinct name until 1978, when Peter Sutcliffe referred to the Oxford comma as such in his historical account of the Oxford University Press.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Sutcliffe, however, attributed the Oxford comma not to Horace Hart but to <a href="/wiki/F._Howard_Collins" class="mw-redirect" title="F. Howard Collins">F. Howard Collins</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-:1_22-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:1-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> who mentioned it in his 1905 book, <i>Author & Printer: A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Compositors, and Typists</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Arguments_for_and_against">Arguments for and against</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Arguments for and against"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Common arguments <i>for</i> consistent use of the serial comma: </p> <ol><li>Use of the comma is consistent with the conventional practice of the region.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>It can resolve <a href="/wiki/Syntactic_ambiguity" title="Syntactic ambiguity">ambiguity</a> (see <a href="#Ambiguity">examples below</a>).<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Petelin_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Petelin-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-USHouse_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-USHouse-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><span class="anchor" id="Semicolon"></span>Its use is consistent with other means of separating items in a list (for example, when <a href="/wiki/Semicolon" title="Semicolon">semicolons</a> are used to separate items, one is always included before the last item).<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ol> <p>Common arguments <i>against</i> consistent use of the serial comma: </p> <ol><li>Omission of the comma is consistent with the conventional practice of the region.<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>It can introduce ambiguity (see <a href="#Ambiguity">examples below</a>).</li> <li>When space is at a premium, the comma adds redundancy and unnecessary bulk to the text.</li></ol> <p>Many sources are against both systematic use and systematic avoidance of the serial comma, making recommendations in a more nuanced way (see <a href="#Recommendations_by_style_guides">Recommendations by style guides</a> and subsequent sections). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Ambiguity">Ambiguity</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Ambiguity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Syntactic_ambiguity" title="Syntactic ambiguity">Syntactic ambiguity</a></div> <p>Omitting the serial comma may create ambiguity. Writers who normally avoid the serial comma often use one when it avoids ambiguity. Consider this <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apocryphal" class="extiw" title="wikt:apocryphal">apocryphal</a> book dedication:<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <dl><dd><i>To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.</i></dd></dl> <p>There is ambiguity about the writer's parentage because "Ayn Rand and God" can be read as a renaming of<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>my parents</i>, leading the reader to believe that the writer claims that <a href="/wiki/Ayn_Rand" title="Ayn Rand">Ayn Rand</a> and God are the parents. A comma before <i>and</i> removes the ambiguity: </p> <dl><dd><i>To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.</i></dd></dl> <p>Nevertheless, lists can also be written in other ways that eliminate the ambiguity without introducing the serial comma, such as by changing the word order or by using other punctuation, or none, to introduce or delimit them (though the emphasis may thereby be changed): </p> <dl><dd><i>To God, Ayn Rand and my parents.</i></dd></dl> <p>An example collected by <a href="/wiki/Patrick_Nielsen_Hayden" title="Patrick Nielsen Hayden">Nielsen Hayden</a> was found in a newspaper account of a documentary about <a href="/wiki/Merle_Haggard" title="Merle Haggard">Merle Haggard</a>: </p> <dl><dd><i>Among those interviewed were his two ex-wives, <a href="/wiki/Kris_Kristofferson" title="Kris Kristofferson">Kris Kristofferson</a> and <a href="/wiki/Robert_Duvall" title="Robert Duvall">Robert Duvall</a>.</i><sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl> <p>A serial comma following "Kris Kristofferson" would help prevent this being understood as Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall being the ex-wives in question. </p><p>Another example: </p> <dl><dd><i>My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs and toast.</i></dd></dl> <p>It is unclear whether the eggs are being grouped with the bacon or the toast. Adding a serial comma removes this ambiguity: </p> <dl><dd><i>My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs, and toast.</i></dd></dl> <p>In some circumstances, using the serial comma can create ambiguity. If the book dedication above is changed to </p> <dl><dd><i>To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God.</i></dd></dl> <p>the serial comma after <i>Ayn Rand</i> creates ambiguity about the writer's mother because it uses punctuation identical to that used for an <a href="/wiki/Appositive_phrase" class="mw-redirect" title="Appositive phrase">appositive phrase</a>, leaving it unclear whether this is a list of three entities (1, my mother; 2, Ayn Rand; and 3, God) or of only two entities (1, my mother, who is Ayn Rand; and 2, God).<sup id="cite_ref-:0_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Or consider </p> <dl><dd><i>They went to <a href="/wiki/Oregon" title="Oregon">Oregon</a> with Betty, a maid, and a cook.</i></dd></dl> <p>This is ambiguous because it is unclear whether "a maid" is an <a href="/wiki/Appositive" class="mw-redirect" title="Appositive">appositive</a> renaming of Betty or the second in a list of three people. On the other hand, removing the final comma: </p> <dl><dd><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid and a cook.</i></dd></dl> <p>leaves the possibility that Betty is both a maid and a cook (with "a maid and a cook" read as an appositive phrase<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>). So in this case neither the serial-comma style nor the no-serial-comma style resolves the ambiguity. A writer who intends a list of three distinct people (Betty, maid, cook) may create an ambiguous sentence, regardless of whether the serial comma is adopted. Furthermore, if the reader is unaware of which convention is being used, both styles can be ambiguous in cases such as this. </p><p>These forms (among others) would remove the ambiguity: </p> <ul><li>One person <ul><li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, who was a maid and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, both a maid and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty (a maid and cook).</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, their maid and cook.</i></li></ul></li> <li>Two people <ul><li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty (a maid) and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty—a maid—and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid, and with a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with the maid Betty and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with a cook and Betty, a maid.</i></li></ul></li> <li>Three people <ul><li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, as well as a maid and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty and a maid and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with Betty, one maid and a cook.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with a maid, a cook, and Betty.</i></li> <li><i>They went to Oregon with a maid, a cook and Betty.</i></li> <li><i>They went with Betty to Oregon with a maid and a cook.</i></li></ul></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="In_general">In general</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: In general"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>The list <b>x, y and z</b> is unambiguous if <b>y and z</b> cannot be read as a renaming of <b>x</b>.</li> <li>Equally, <b>x, y, and z</b> is unambiguous if <b>y</b> cannot be read as a renaming of <b>x</b>.</li> <li>If neither <b>y</b> nor <b>y, and z</b> can be read as a renaming of <b>x</b>, then both forms of the list are unambiguous, but if both <b>y</b> and <b>y and z</b> can be read as a renaming of <b>x</b>, then both forms of the list are ambiguous.</li> <li><b>x and y and z</b> is unambiguous if <b>x and y</b> and <b>y and z</b> cannot both be grouped.</li></ul> <p>Ambiguities can often be resolved by the selective use of semicolons instead of commas when more separation is required.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> General practice across style guides involves using semicolons when individual items have their own punctuation or coordinating conjunctions, but typically a "serial semicolon" is required.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Recommendations_by_style_guides"><span id="Usage"></span><span id="Recommendations_by_style_guides"></span>Recommendations by style guides</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Recommendations by style guides"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Wikipedia's Manual of Style (<a href="/wiki/MOS:SERIAL" class="mw-redirect" title="MOS:SERIAL">MOS:SERIAL</a>) leaves use of the serial comma up to the editor so long as individual articles are consistent. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Lynne_Truss" title="Lynne Truss">Lynne Truss</a> writes: "There are people who embrace the Oxford comma, and people who don't, and I'll just say this: <i>never</i> get between these people when drink has been taken."<sup id="cite_ref-shoots_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-shoots-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Omitting a serial comma is often characterized as a journalistic style of writing, as contrasted with a more academic or formal style.<sup id="cite_ref-Gramlich_36-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Gramlich-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-BusInsider_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BusInsider-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Journalists typically do not use the serial comma, possibly for economy of space.<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In Australia and Canada, the serial comma is typically avoided in non-academic publications unless its absence produces ambiguity. </p><p>It is important that usage within a document be consistent;<sup id="cite_ref-Fowlers2015_40-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fowlers2015-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> inconsistent usage can seem unprofessional.<sup id="cite_ref-BusInsider_38-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BusInsider-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mainly_American_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use">Mainly American style guides supporting mandatory or typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Mainly American style guides supporting mandatory or typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt>The <a href="/wiki/United_States_Government_Printing_Office" class="mw-redirect" title="United States Government Printing Office">United States Government Printing Office</a>'s <i>Style Manual</i></dt> <dd>"After each member within a series of three or more words, phrases, letters, or figures used with <i>and</i>, <i>or</i>, or <i>nor</i>." It notes that an age ("70 years 11 months 6 days") is not a series and should not take commas.<sup id="cite_ref-usgo_41-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-usgo-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt>Wilson Follett's <i>Modern American Usage: A Guide</i> (<a href="/wiki/Random_House" title="Random House">Random House</a>, 1981), pp. 397–401</dt> <dd></dd> <dd>"What, then, are the arguments for omitting the last comma? Only one is cogent – the saving of space. In the narrow width of a newspaper column this saving counts for more than elsewhere, which is why the omission is so nearly universal in journalism. But here or anywhere one must question whether the advantage outweighs the confusion caused by the omission. … The recommendation here is that [writers] use the comma between all members of a series, including the last two, on the common-sense ground that to do so will preclude ambiguities and annoyances at a negligible cost."<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Chicago_Manual_of_Style" title="The Chicago Manual of Style">The Chicago Manual of Style</a></i>, 16th edition (University of Chicago Press, 2010), paragraph 6.18</dt> <dd>"When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series of three or more, a comma … should appear before the conjunction. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage." In answer to a reader's query, <i>The Chicago Manual of Style Online</i> notes that their style guide has been recommending use of the serial comma ever since the first edition in 1906, but also qualifies this, saying "the serial comma is optional; some mainstream style guides (such as the <a href="/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press">Associated Press</a>) don't use it. … there are times when using the comma (or omitting it) results in ambiguity, which is why it's best to stay flexible."<sup id="cite_ref-CMOS_Online_43-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CMOS_Online-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style" title="The Elements of Style">The Elements of Style</a></i> (Strunk and White, 4th edition 1999), Rule 2<sup id="cite_ref-Strunk_&_White_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Strunk_&_White-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last." This has been recommended in <i>The Elements of Style</i> since the first edition by Strunk in 1918.<sup id="cite_ref-CMOS_Online_43-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CMOS_Online-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt>The <i><a href="/wiki/American_Medical_Association" title="American Medical Association">American Medical Association</a> Manual of Style</i>, 9th edition (1998) Chapter 6.2.1</dt> <dd>"Use a comma before the conjunction that precedes the last term in a series."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/APA_style" title="APA style">The Publication Manual</a> of the <a href="/wiki/American_Psychological_Association" title="American Psychological Association">American Psychological Association</a></i>, 6th edition (2010) Chapter 4.03</dt> <dd>"Use a comma between elements (including before <i>and</i> and <i>or</i>) in a series of three or more items."</dd> <dt><i>The <a href="/wiki/Council_of_Science_Editors" title="Council of Science Editors">CSE</a> Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers</i> (Council of Science Editors, 7th edition, 2006), Section 5.3.3.1</dt> <dd>"To separate the elements (words, phrases, clauses) of a simple series of more than 2 elements, including a comma before the closing 'and' or 'or' (the so-called serial comma). Routine use of the serial comma helps to prevent ambiguity."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/Garner%27s_Modern_English_Usage" title="Garner's Modern English Usage">Garner's Modern English Usage</a></i>, 4th edition (Oxford University Press, 2016), "Punctuation," § D, "Comma", p. 748</dt> <dd>"Whether to include the serial comma has sparked many arguments. But it's easily answered in favor of inclusion because omitting the final comma may cause ambiguities, whereas including it never will –  e.g.: 'A and B, C and D, E and F[,] and G and H'."</dd> <dt><i>MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing</i> (<a href="/wiki/Modern_Language_Association" title="Modern Language Association">Modern Language Association</a> 2008), paragraph 3.4.2.b</dt> <dd>"Use commas to separate words, phrases, and clauses in a series."</dd> <dt><i>AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription</i></dt> <dd>"Medical transcriptionists use the serial comma when two medications or diagnoses must be seen as separate; i.e., for 'The patient was on Aspirin, Coversyl, and Dilaudid', the comma is used before 'and' to avoid the reader erroneously thinking that Coversyl and Dilaudid must be taken together."<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt><i>AIP Style Manual</i>, American Institute of Physics, fourth edition, 1990</dt> <dd>"A comma goes before 'and' or 'or' in a series of three or more: Sn, K, Na, and Li lines are invisible."</dd> <dt><i>Plain English Handbook</i>, Revised Edition (McCormick-Mathers Publishing Co., 1959), § 483, p. 78</dt> <dd>"Use commas to separate the items in a series of words, phrases, or short clauses:</dd> <dd>The farmer sold corn, hay, oats, potatoes, and wheat."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mainly_American_style_guides_opposing_typical_use">Mainly American style guides opposing typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Mainly American style guides opposing typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i> stylebook<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"In general, do not use a comma before <i>and</i> or <i>or</i> in a series."</dd> <dt><i>The <a href="/wiki/AP_Stylebook" title="AP Stylebook">AP Stylebook</a></i><sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series. […] Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: <i>I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.</i> Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: <i>The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.</i> In the United States, the choice is between journalistic style (no serial comma) and "literary" style (with serial comma); consistent use of the serial comma is usually recommended for college writing."<sup id="cite_ref-Gramlich_36-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Gramlich-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mainly_British_style_guides_supporting_mandatory_or_typical_use">Mainly British style guides supporting mandatory or typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Mainly British style guides supporting mandatory or typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt><i><a href="/wiki/MHRA_Style_Guide" title="MHRA Style Guide">MHRA Style Guide</a></i> (<a href="/wiki/Modern_Humanities_Research_Association" title="Modern Humanities Research Association">Modern Humanities Research Association</a>), 3rd edition (2013)<sup id="cite_ref-mhra_47-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mhra-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"In an enumeration of three or more items, the practice in MHRA journals is to insert commas after all but the last item, to give equal weight to each enumerated element. … The conjunctions <i>and</i> and <i>or</i> without a preceding comma are understood as linking the parts of a single enumerated element"</dd> <dd>But paragraph 5.1<sup id="cite_ref-mhra_47-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mhra-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> says "The comma after the penultimate item may be omitted in books published by the MHRA, as long as the sense is clear."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mainly_British_style_guides_opposing_typical_use">Mainly British style guides opposing typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Mainly British style guides opposing typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Times" title="The Times">The Times</a></i> style manual<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"Avoid the so-called <i>Oxford comma</i>; say 'he ate bread, butter and jam' rather than 'he ate bread, butter, and jam'."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Economist" title="The Economist">The Economist</a></i> Style Guide<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"Do not put a comma before <i>and</i> at the end of a sequence of items unless one of the items includes another <i>and</i>. Thus 'The doctor suggested an aspirin, half a grapefruit and a cup of broth. But he ordered scrambled eggs, whisky and soda, and a selection from the trolley.<span style="padding-right:.15em;">'</span>"</dd> <dd>"Sometimes it is essential: compare 'I dedicate this book to my parents, <a href="/wiki/Martin_Amis" title="Martin Amis">Martin Amis</a>, and <a href="/wiki/JK_Rowling" class="mw-redirect" title="JK Rowling">JK Rowling</a>' with 'I dedicate this book to my parents, Martin Amis and JK Rowling'."</dd> <dt>University of Oxford Public Affairs Directorate Writing and Style Guide (2016)<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"Note that there is generally no comma between the penultimate item and 'and'/'or' – this is sometimes referred to as the 'Oxford comma'. However, it is essential to use an Oxford comma if required to prevent ambiguity."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Mainly_British_style_guides_that_consider_it_generally_unnecessary_but_discretionary">Mainly British style guides that consider it generally unnecessary but discretionary</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Mainly British style guides that consider it generally unnecessary but discretionary"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Guardian" title="The Guardian">The Guardian</a> Style Guide</i><sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"A comma before the final 'and' in lists: straightforward ones (he ate ham, eggs and chips) do not need one, but sometimes it can help the reader (he ate cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade, and tea)."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/The_Cambridge_Guide_to_English_Usage" title="The Cambridge Guide to English Usage">The Cambridge Guide to English Usage</a></i><sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"In British practice there's an Oxford/Cambridge divide … In Canada and Australia the serial comma is recommended only to prevent ambiguity or misreading."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/Fowler%27s_Dictionary_of_Modern_English_Usage" class="mw-redirect" title="Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage">Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage</a></i>, 4th edition, 2015<sup id="cite_ref-Fowlers2015_40-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fowlers2015-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"The so-called 'Oxford comma' is an optional comma that follows the penultimate item in a list of three or more items and precedes the word 'and' … The general rule is that it should be used consistently or not at all … However, the Oxford comma can help to avoid ambiguity, ... and it is sometimes helpful to the reader to use an isolated serial comma for clarification, even when the convention has not been adopted in the rest of the text."</dd> <dt><i><a href="/wiki/New_Hart%27s_Rules" class="mw-redirect" title="New Hart's Rules">New Hart's Rules</a>, 2014<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></i></dt> <dd>"The general rule is that one style or the other should be used consistently. However, the last comma can serve to resolve ambiguity, particularly when any of the items are compound terms joined by a conjunction, and it is sometimes helpful to the reader to use an isolated serial comma for clarification even when the convention has not been adopted in the rest of the text."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Australian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use">Australian style guides opposing typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Australian style guides opposing typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt>The <a href="/wiki/Australian_Government_Publishing_Service" title="Australian Government Publishing Service">Australian Government Publishing Service</a>'s <i>Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers</i><sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"A comma is used before <i>and</i>, <i>or</i>, or <i>etc.</i> in a list when its omission might either give rise to ambiguity or cause the last word or phrase to be construed with a preposition in the preceding phrase. … Generally, however, a comma is not used before <i>and</i>, <i>or</i> or <i>etc.</i> in a list."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Canadian_style_guides_opposing_typical_use">Canadian style guides opposing typical use</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Canadian style guides opposing typical use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <dl><dt>Public Works and Government Services Canada Translation Bureau's <i>The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing</i><sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dt> <dd>"Items in a series may be separated by commas:</dd> <dd>Complacency, urbanity, sentimentality, whimsicality</dd> <dd>They may also be linked by coordinating conjunctions such as <i>and</i> or <i>or:</i></dd> <dd>economists, sociologists or political scientists</dd> <dd>the good, the bad and the ugly</dd> <dd>Opinions differ on whether and when a comma should be inserted before the final <i>and</i> or <i>or</i> in a sequence. In keeping with the general trend toward less punctuation, the final comma is best omitted where clarity permits, unless there is a need to emphasize the last element in a series."</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Individual_disputes">Individual disputes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Individual disputes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Maine_labor_dispute">Maine labor dispute</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Maine labor dispute"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the U.S. state of <a href="/wiki/Maine" title="Maine">Maine</a>, the lack of a serial comma became the deciding factor in a $13 million lawsuit filed in 2014 that was eventually settled for $5 million in 2017. The U.S. appeals judge <a href="/wiki/David_J._Barron" title="David J. Barron">David J. Barron</a> wrote, "For want of a comma, we have this case."<sup id="cite_ref-56" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In <i>O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> a federal court of appeals was required to interpret a <a href="/wiki/Statute" title="Statute">statute</a> under which the "canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution" of certain goods were activities exempted from the general requirement of overtime pay. The question was whether this list included the distribution of the goods, or only the packing of the goods <i>for</i> distribution. The lack of a comma suggested one meaning, while the omission of the conjunction <i>or</i> before "packing" and the fact that the <i>Maine Legislative Drafting Manual</i> advised against use of the serial comma suggested another. It said "Although authorities on punctuation may differ, when drafting Maine law or rules, don't use a comma between the penultimate and the last item of a series."<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In addition to the absence of a comma, the fact that the word chosen was "distribution" rather than "distributing" was also a consideration,<sup id="cite_ref-NewYorkerNorris_61-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NewYorkerNorris-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as was the question of whether it would be reasonable to consider the list to be an <a href="/wiki/Asyndeton" title="Asyndeton">asyndetic</a> list. Truck drivers demanded overtime pay; the defense conceded that the expression was ambiguous but said it should be interpreted as exempting distribution activity from overtime pay.<sup id="cite_ref-NewYorkerNorris_61-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NewYorkerNorris-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Maine" title="United States District Court for the District of Maine">district court</a> agreed with the defense and held that "distribution" was an exempt activity. On appeal, however, the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_First_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit">First Circuit</a> decided that the sentence was ambiguous and "because, under Maine law, ambiguities in the state's wage and hour laws must be construed liberally in order to accomplish their remedial purpose", adopted the drivers' narrower reading of the exemption and ruled that those who distributed the goods were entitled to overtime pay. Oakhurst Dairy settled the case by paying $5 million to the drivers,<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the phrase in the law in question was later changed to use serial semicolons and "distributing" –  resulting in "canning; processing; preserving; freezing; drying; marketing; storing; packing for shipment; or distributing".<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The opinion in the case said that 43 of the 50 U.S. states had mandated the use of a serial comma and that both chambers of the <a href="/wiki/U.S._Congress" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. Congress">federal congress</a> had warned against omitting it, in the words of the U.S. House Legislative Counsel's Manual on Drafting Style, "to prevent any misreading that the last item is part of the preceding one"; only seven states "either do not require or expressly prohibited the use of the serial comma".<sup id="cite_ref-Petelin_26-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Petelin-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-USHouse_27-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-USHouse-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="British_50p_Brexit_coin">British 50p Brexit coin</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: British 50p Brexit coin"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In 2020 a <a href="/wiki/Brexit_50p_coin" title="Brexit 50p coin">commemorative 50p coin</a> was brought into circulation in the United Kingdom to mark "<a href="/wiki/Brexit" title="Brexit">Brexit</a> day", January 31, 2020, minted with the phrase "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations". English novelist <a href="/wiki/Philip_Pullman" title="Philip Pullman">Philip Pullman</a> and others criticized the omission of the Oxford comma, while others said it was an <a href="/wiki/American_English" title="American English">Americanism</a> and not required in this instance.<sup id="cite_ref-Brexit50p_64-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Brexit50p-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-65"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Roger_Casement" title="Roger Casement">Roger Casement</a>, "hanged on a comma" due to contested non-punctuation in a law</li> <li>"<a href="/wiki/Oxford_Comma_(song)" title="Oxford Comma (song)">Oxford Comma</a>", a 2008 song by <a href="/wiki/Vampire_Weekend" title="Vampire Weekend">Vampire Weekend</a> which begins "Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?"</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Syndeton" title="Syndeton">Syndeton</a>, the conjunctive phrasing that may or may not contain a serial comma</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFGarner2016" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Bryan_A._Garner" title="Bryan A. Garner">Garner, Bryan A.</a> (2016). <i>Garner's Modern English Usage</i>. <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a>. p. 748. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-049148-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-049148-2"><bdi>978-0-19-049148-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Garner%27s+Modern+English+Usage&rft.pages=748&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2016&rft.isbn=978-0-19-049148-2&rft.aulast=Garner&rft.aufirst=Bryan+A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFUpadhyay" class="citation web cs1">Upadhyay, Abhishek. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190116041247/https://writersmentor.com/oxford-comma-necessary-serial-comma-harvard-comma/">"Serial comma - Oxford comma - Harvard comma"</a>. <i>Writers' Mentor</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://writersmentor.com/oxford-comma-necessary-serial-comma-harvard-comma/">the original</a> on January 16, 2019<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 15,</span> 2019</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Writers%27+Mentor&rft.atitle=Serial+comma+-+Oxford+comma+-+Harvard+comma&rft.aulast=Upadhyay&rft.aufirst=Abhishek&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwritersmentor.com%2Foxford-comma-necessary-serial-comma-harvard-comma%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"> The terms <i>Oxford comma</i> and <i>Harvard comma</i> come from <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a> and <a href="/wiki/Harvard_University_Press" title="Harvard University Press">Harvard University Press</a>, where serial-comma use is the <a href="/wiki/Style_guide" title="Style guide">house style</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sometimes, the term also denotes the comma that might come before <i>etc.</i> at the end of a list (<i>see</i> the Australian Government Publishing Service's <i>Style Manual for Authors, Editors, and Printers</i>, below). Such an extension is reasonable, since <i>etc.</i> is the abbreviation of the Latin phrase <span title="Latin-language text"><i lang="la">et cetera</i></span> (lit. <i>and other things</i>).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The <i>serial comma</i> sometimes refers to <i>any</i> of the separator commas in a list, but this is a rare, old-fashioned usage. Herein, the term is used only as defined above.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAdams2013" class="citation book cs1">Adams, Kenneth A. (2013). <i>A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting</i> (3rd ed.). American Bar Association. 12.61. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-61438-803-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-61438-803-6"><bdi>978-1-61438-803-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+Manual+of+Style+for+Contract+Drafting&rft.pages=12.61&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=American+Bar+Association&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=978-1-61438-803-6&rft.aulast=Adams&rft.aufirst=Kenneth+A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-shoots-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-shoots_7-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-shoots_7-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTruss2004" class="citation book cs1">Truss, Lynn (2004). <span class="id-lock-limited" title="Free access subject to limited trial, subscription normally required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/eatsshootsleave00trus"><i>Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation</i></a></span>. New York: <a href="/wiki/Gotham_Books" class="mw-redirect" title="Gotham Books">Gotham Books</a>. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/eatsshootsleave00trus/page/84">84</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-59240-087-6" title="Special:BookSources/1-59240-087-6"><bdi>1-59240-087-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Eats%2C+Shoots+%26+Leaves%3A+The+Zero+Tolerance+Approach+to+Punctuation&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=84&rft.pub=Gotham+Books&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=1-59240-087-6&rft.aulast=Truss&rft.aufirst=Lynn&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Featsshootsleave00trus&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDavid_Becker" class="citation web cs1">David Becker. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/04/using-serial-commas.html">"Using Serial Commas"</a>. <a href="/wiki/American_Psychological_Association" title="American Psychological Association">APA</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141019015746/http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/04/using-serial-commas.html">Archived</a> from the original on October 19, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">October 14,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Using+Serial+Commas&rft.pub=APA&rft.au=David+Becker&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.apastyle.org%2Fapastyle%2F2011%2F04%2Fusing-serial-commas.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Garner3-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Garner3_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGarner2009" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Bryan_A._Garner" title="Bryan A. Garner">Garner, Bryan A.</a> (2009). <i>Garner's Modern American Usage</i> (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 676. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-538275-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-538275-4"><bdi>978-0-19-538275-4</bdi></a>. <q>... omitting the final comma may cause ambiguities, whereas including it never will ...</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Garner%27s+Modern+American+Usage&rft.pages=676&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2009&rft.isbn=978-0-19-538275-4&rft.aulast=Garner&rft.aufirst=Bryan+A.&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Strunk_&_White-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Strunk_&_White_10-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Strunk_&_White_10-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFStrunkWhite2005" class="citation book cs1">Strunk, William Jr.; White, E. B. (2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=pYYUAQAAIAAJ&q=In+a+series+of+three+or+more"><i>The Elements of Style</i></a>. Illustrated by Maira Kalman (Illustrated ed.). Penguin Press. p. 3. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9-7815-9420-069-4" title="Special:BookSources/9-7815-9420-069-4"><bdi>9-7815-9420-069-4</bdi></a>. <q>In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Elements+of+Style&rft.pages=3&rft.edition=Illustrated&rft.pub=Penguin+Press&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=9-7815-9420-069-4&rft.aulast=Strunk&rft.aufirst=William+Jr.&rft.au=White%2C+E.+B.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DpYYUAQAAIAAJ%26q%3DIn%2Ba%2Bseries%2Bof%2Bthree%2Bor%2Bmore&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf">"GPO Style Manual"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. United States Government Publishing Office. 2016. pp. 201–202. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180729022842/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016/pdf/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on July 29, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 10,</span> 2023</span>. <q>The comma is used ... after each member within a series of three or more words, phrases, letters, or figures used with <i>and</i>, <i>or</i>, or <i>nor</i>.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=GPO+Style+Manual&rft.pages=201-202&rft.pub=United+States+Government+Publishing+Office&rft.date=2016&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.govinfo.gov%2Fcontent%2Fpkg%2FGPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016%2Fpdf%2FGPO-STYLEMANUAL-2016.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJordan_Lewis1962" class="citation book cs1">Jordan Lewis (1962). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/newyorktimesstyl00newy/page/30/mode/2up"><i>The New York Times Style Book for Writers and Editors</i></a>. <a href="/wiki/McGraw_Hill" class="mw-redirect" title="McGraw Hill">McGraw Hill</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+New+York+Times+Style+Book+for+Writers+and+Editors&rft.pub=McGraw+Hill&rft.date=1962&rft.au=Jordan+Lewis&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fnewyorktimesstyl00newy%2Fpage%2F30%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><i>The Economist Style Guide</i> (10th ed.). Profile Books. 2012. pp. 152–153. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84668-606-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84668-606-1"><bdi>978-1-84668-606-1</bdi></a>. <q>Most American writers and publishers use the serial comma; most British writers and publishers use the serial comma only when necessary to avoid ambiguity ...</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Economist+Style+Guide&rft.pages=152-153&rft.edition=10th&rft.pub=Profile+Books&rft.date=2012&rft.isbn=978-1-84668-606-1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Oxford Style Manual</i>, 2002: "The presence or lack of a comma before <i>and</i> or <i>or</i> ... has become the subject of much spirited debate. For a century it has been part of OUP style ..., to the extent that the convention has come to be called the 'Oxford comma'. But it is commonly used by many other publishers here and abroad, and forms a routine part of style in US and Canadian English" (p. 121).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide.pdf">"University of Oxford Style Guide"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. p. 13. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on October 9, 2022<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 17,</span> 2021</span>. <q>Note that there is no comma between the penultimate item in a list and 'and'/'or', unless required to prevent ambiguity – this is sometimes referred to as the 'Oxford comma'.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=University+of+Oxford+Style+Guide&rft.pages=13&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ox.ac.uk%2Fsites%2Ffiles%2Foxford%2Fmedia_wysiwyg%2FUniversity%2520of%2520Oxford%2520Style%2520Guide.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMcArthur1998" class="citation web cs1">McArthur, Tom (1998). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/comma">"Comma"</a>. <i>Encyclopedia.com</i>. Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240831005743/https://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/language-linguistics-and-literary-terms/language-and-linguistics/comma#COMMA">Archived</a> from the original on August 31, 2024<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 18,</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Encyclopedia.com&rft.atitle=Comma&rft.date=1998&rft.aulast=McArthur&rft.aufirst=Tom&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.encyclopedia.com%2Fhumanities%2Fencyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps%2Fcomma&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNadeau2015" class="citation web cs1">Nadeau, Barbie Latza (November 6, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/aldus-manutius-printing-typeface-typography-italics-venice-180956855/">"The Man Who Changed Reading Forever"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Smithsonian_Magazine" class="mw-redirect" title="Smithsonian Magazine">Smithsonian Magazine</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230729050628/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/aldus-manutius-printing-typeface-typography-italics-venice-180956855/">Archived</a> from the original on July 29, 2023<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 25,</span> 2023</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Smithsonian+Magazine&rft.atitle=The+Man+Who+Changed+Reading+Forever&rft.date=2015-11-06&rft.aulast=Nadeau&rft.aufirst=Barbie+Latza&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smithsonianmag.com%2Ftravel%2Faldus-manutius-printing-typeface-typography-italics-venice-180956855%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFpidgin2018" class="citation web cs1">pidgin, the inquisitive (June 15, 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://medium.com/@jonhudson.main/from-where-did-we-get-the-comma-d15fcd9839bb">"From Where Did We Get the Comma?"</a>. <i>Medium</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240831005831/https://medium.com/@jonhudson.main/from-where-did-we-get-the-comma-d15fcd9839bb">Archived</a> from the original on August 31, 2024<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 18,</span> 2024</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Medium&rft.atitle=From+Where+Did+We+Get+the+Comma%3F&rft.date=2018-06-15&rft.aulast=pidgin&rft.aufirst=the+inquisitive&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40jonhudson.main%2Ffrom-where-did-we-get-the-comma-d15fcd9839bb&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCalle-MartínCriado-Peña2022" class="citation journal cs1">Calle-Martín, Javier; Criado-Peña, Miriam (April 3, 2022). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07268602.2022.2123700">"<span class="cs1-kern-left"></span>'A very pleasant, safe, and effectual medicine': The serial comma in the history of English"</a>. <i>Australian Journal of Linguistics</i>. <b>42</b> (2): 165–183. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F07268602.2022.2123700">10.1080/07268602.2022.2123700</a>. <a href="/wiki/Hdl_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Hdl (identifier)">hdl</a>:<span class="id-lock-free" title="Freely accessible"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://hdl.handle.net/10630%2F29636">10630/29636</a></span>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0726-8602">0726-8602</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240831005743/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07268602.2022.2123700">Archived</a> from the original on August 31, 2024<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 25,</span> 2023</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Australian+Journal+of+Linguistics&rft.atitle=%27A+very+pleasant%2C+safe%2C+and+effectual+medicine%27%3A+The+serial+comma+in+the+history+of+English&rft.volume=42&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=165-183&rft.date=2022-04-03&rft_id=info%3Ahdl%2F10630%2F29636&rft.issn=0726-8602&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1080%2F07268602.2022.2123700&rft.aulast=Calle-Mart%C3%ADn&rft.aufirst=Javier&rft.au=Criado-Pe%C3%B1a%2C+Miriam&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1080%2F07268602.2022.2123700&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/horace-hart">"Horace Hart | Artist"</a>. <i>royalacademy.org.uk</i>. Royal Academy of Arts. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230725160308/https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/horace-hart">Archived</a> from the original on July 25, 2023<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 25,</span> 2023</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=royalacademy.org.uk&rft.atitle=Horace+Hart+%7C+Artist&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalacademy.org.uk%2Fart-artists%2Fname%2Fhorace-hart&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHart1983" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Horace_Hart" title="Horace Hart">Hart, Horace</a> (1983). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=6avlAAAAMAAJ"><i>Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford</i></a>. Oxford: Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-212983-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-212983-3"><bdi>978-0-19-212983-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Hart%27s+Rules+for+Compositors+and+Readers+at+the+University+Press%2C+Oxford&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=1983&rft.isbn=978-0-19-212983-3&rft.aulast=Hart&rft.aufirst=Horace&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D6avlAAAAMAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:1-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:1_22-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:1_22-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSutcliffe1978" class="citation book cs1">Sutcliffe, Peter H. (1978). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=rAUmnk2VNT4C"><i>The Oxford University Press: An Informal History</i></a>. Oxford: Clarendon Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-951084-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-951084-9"><bdi>978-0-19-951084-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Oxford+University+Press%3A+An+Informal+History&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1978&rft.isbn=978-0-19-951084-9&rft.aulast=Sutcliffe&rft.aufirst=Peter+H.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DrAUmnk2VNT4C&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCollins1905" class="citation book cs1">Collins, Frederick Howard (1905). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=CdQWAAAAIAAJ"><i>Author & Printer: A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Compositors and Typists</i></a>. H. Frowde.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Author+%26+Printer%3A+A+Guide+for+Authors%2C+Editors%2C+Printers%2C+Correctors+of+the+Press%2C+Compositors+and+Typists&rft.pub=H.+Frowde&rft.date=1905&rft.aulast=Collins&rft.aufirst=Frederick+Howard&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DCdQWAAAAIAAJ&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Oxford Style Manual</i>, 2002: "But it is commonly used by many other publishers here and abroad, and forms a routine part of style in US and Canadian English" (p. 121).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Oxford Style Manual</i>, 2002; from discussion of the serial comma: "The last comma serves also to resolve ambiguity, particularly when any of the items are compound terms joined by a conjunction" (p. 122).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Petelin-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Petelin_26-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Petelin_26-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPetelin2017" class="citation cs2">Petelin, Roslyn (March 21, 2017), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-21/the-case-of-the-$13-million-comma/8372956"><i>The case of the $13 million comma and why grammarians are rejoicing</i></a>, Australia: <a href="/wiki/ABC_News_(Australia)" title="ABC News (Australia)">ABC News</a>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180215215854/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-21/the-case-of-the-$13-million-comma/8372956">archived</a> from the original on February 15, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 3,</span> 2018</span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+case+of+the+%2413+million+comma+and+why+grammarians+are+rejoicing&rft.place=Australia&rft.pub=ABC+News&rft.date=2017-03-21&rft.aulast=Petelin&rft.aufirst=Roslyn&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2017-03-21%2Fthe-case-of-the-%2413-million-comma%2F8372956&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-USHouse-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-USHouse_27-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-USHouse_27-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">U.S. House Legislative Counsel's Manual on Drafting Style, No. HLC 104-1, § 351 at 58 (1995)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>The Oxford Style Manual</i>, 2002; in discussion of the semicolon, examples are given in which complex listed items are separated by semicolons, with the same structure and on the same principles as are consistently recommended for use of the comma as a list separator in the preceding section (pp. 124–5)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Ridout, R., and Witting, C., <i>The Facts of English</i>, Pan, 1973, p. 79: "Usually in such lists 'and' is not preceded by a comma, […]".</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Based on example quoted in <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVictor2017" class="citation news cs1">Victor, Daniel (March 16, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html?_r=0">"Lack of Oxford Comma Could Cost Maine Company Millions in Overtime Dispute"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170317092502/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html?_r=0">Archived</a> from the original on March 17, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 17,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Lack+of+Oxford+Comma+Could+Cost+Maine+Company+Millions+in+Overtime+Dispute&rft.date=2017-03-16&rft.aulast=Victor&rft.aufirst=Daniel&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F03%2F16%2Fus%2Foxford-comma-lawsuit.html%3F_r%3D0&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFEmonds1979" class="citation journal cs1">Emonds, Joseph (1979). 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Nielsenhayden.com. October 21, 2010. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130122013013/http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/012652.html">Archived</a> from the original on January 22, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 10,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Making+Light&rft.pub=Nielsenhayden.com&rft.date=2010-10-21&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnielsenhayden.com%2Fmakinglight%2Farchives%2F012652.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDelormeDougherty1972" class="citation journal cs1">Delorme, Evelyne; Dougherty, Ray C. (1972). 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">December 17,</span> 2013</span>. <q>It's just a matter of STYLE, and in this case, newspaper or literary (book) style. . . . Choose one style or the other the authorities say, but be consistent. Most writers recommend the literary style in college writing to avoid possible confusion . . .</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Hohonu&rft.atitle=Commas%3A+the+biggest+little+quirks+in+the+English+language&rft.volume=3&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=71&rft.date=2005&rft.aulast=Gramlich&rft.aufirst=Andy&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fhilo.hawaii.edu%2Fcampuscenter%2Fhohonu%2Fvolumes%2Fdocuments%2FVol03x16Commas.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFReimink2018" class="citation web cs1">Reimink, Troy (February 16, 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/troy-reimink-the-oxford-comma-is-an-abomination-but-it/article_53963e17-3238-5579-a5af-78b833c223fa.html">"The Oxford comma is an abomination, but it's now the law"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Traverse_City_Record-Eagle" class="mw-redirect" title="The Traverse City Record-Eagle">The Traverse City Record-Eagle</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180216234223/http://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/troy-reimink-the-oxford-comma-is-an-abomination-but-it/article_53963e17-3238-5579-a5af-78b833c223fa.html">Archived</a> from the original on February 16, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 3,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Traverse+City+Record-Eagle&rft.atitle=The+Oxford+comma+is+an+abomination%2C+but+it%27s+now+the+law&rft.date=2018-02-16&rft.aulast=Reimink&rft.aufirst=Troy&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.record-eagle.com%2Fnews%2Flocal_news%2Ftroy-reimink-the-oxford-comma-is-an-abomination-but-it%2Farticle_53963e17-3238-5579-a5af-78b833c223fa.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-BusInsider-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-BusInsider_38-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-BusInsider_38-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLubin2013" class="citation web cs1">Lubin, Gus (September 20, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/do-you-need-the-oxford-comma-2013-9">"The Oxford Comma Is Extremely Overrated"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Business_Insider" title="Business Insider">Business Insider</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180304054722/http://www.businessinsider.com/do-you-need-the-oxford-comma-2013-9">Archived</a> from the original on March 4, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 3,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Business+Insider&rft.atitle=The+Oxford+Comma+Is+Extremely+Overrated&rft.date=2013-09-20&rft.aulast=Lubin&rft.aufirst=Gus&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fdo-you-need-the-oxford-comma-2013-9&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBryan_A._Garner2003" class="citation book cs1">Bryan A. Garner (2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/garnersmodername00garn/page/654"><i>Garner's Modern American Usage</i></a>. New York: Oxford University Press. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/garnersmodername00garn/page/654">654</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-516191-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-516191-2"><bdi>0-19-516191-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Garner%27s+Modern+American+Usage&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=654&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2003&rft.isbn=0-19-516191-2&rft.au=Bryan+A.+Garner&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fgarnersmodername00garn%2Fpage%2F654&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Fowlers2015-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Fowlers2015_40-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Fowlers2015_40-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFowler2015" class="citation book cs1">Fowler, Henry Watson (2015). Butterfield, Jeremy (ed.). <i>Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage</i>. Oxford University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-966135-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-966135-0"><bdi>978-0-19-966135-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Fowler%27s+Dictionary+of+Modern+English+Usage&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2015&rft.isbn=978-0-19-966135-0&rft.aulast=Fowler&rft.aufirst=Henry+Watson&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-usgo-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-usgo_41-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_style_manual&docid=f:chapter8.pdf#page=9">"8. Punctuation"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008/html/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008-1.htm"><i>GPO Style Manual</i></a> (30th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2008. p. 201. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-16-081813-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-16-081813-4"><bdi>978-0-16-081813-4</bdi></a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240831005909/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008/html/GPO-STYLEMANUAL-2008-1.htm">Archived</a> from the original on August 31, 2024<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 9,</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=8.+Punctuation&rft.btitle=GPO+Style+Manual&rft.place=Washington%2C+DC&rft.pages=201&rft.edition=30th&rft.pub=U.S.+Government+Printing+Office&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=978-0-16-081813-4&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Ffrwebgate.access.gpo.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Fgetdoc.cgi%3Fdbname%3D2008_style_manual%26docid%3Df%3Achapter8.pdf%23page%3D9&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.swcp.com/info/essays/serial-comma.htm">"The Case of the Serial Comma-Solved!"</a>. Swcp.com. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081205035832/http://www.swcp.com/info/essays/serial-comma.htm">Archived</a> from the original on December 5, 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 10,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Case+of+the+Serial+Comma-Solved%21&rft.pub=Swcp.com&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swcp.com%2Finfo%2Fessays%2Fserial-comma.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-CMOS_Online-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-CMOS_Online_43-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-CMOS_Online_43-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Commas/faq0066.html">"Browse Q & A: Commas"</a>. <i>The Chicago Manual of Style Online</i>. <a href="/wiki/University_of_Chicago_Press" title="University of Chicago Press">University of Chicago Press</a>. January 6, 2016. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180303165547/http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Commas/faq0066.html">Archived</a> from the original on March 3, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 3,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Chicago+Manual+of+Style+Online&rft.atitle=Browse+Q+%26+A%3A+Commas&rft.date=2016-01-06&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagomanualofstyle.org%2Fqanda%2Fdata%2Ffaq%2Ftopics%2FCommas%2Ffaq0066.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription, Claudia Tessier, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-935229-22-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-935229-22-1">0-935229-22-1</a>, Modesto, California, USA. Page 309.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPerlman2007" class="citation news cs1">Perlman, Merrill (March 6, 2007). "Talk to the Newsroom: Director of Copy Desks Merrill Perlman". <i>The New York Times</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Talk+to+the+Newsroom%3A+Director+of+Copy+Desks+Merrill+Perlman&rft.date=2007-03-06&rft.aulast=Perlman&rft.aufirst=Merrill&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNorman_Goldstein2002" class="citation book cs1">Norman Goldstein, ed. (2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/associatedpress000gold/page/329"><i>The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law</i></a>. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus. pp. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/associatedpress000gold/page/329">329–330</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7382-0740-3" title="Special:BookSources/0-7382-0740-3"><bdi>0-7382-0740-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Associated+Press+Stylebook+and+Briefing+on+Media+Law&rft.place=Cambridge%2C+Massachusetts&rft.pages=329-330&rft.pub=Perseus&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=0-7382-0740-3&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fassociatedpress000gold%2Fpage%2F329&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-mhra-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-mhra_47-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mhra_47-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181105003016/http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/index.html"><i>MHRA Style Guide: a handbook for authors, editors, and writers of theses</i></a> (3rd ed.). London: Modern Humanities Research Association. 2013. pp. 33–4. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78188-009-8" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-78188-009-8"><bdi>978-1-78188-009-8</bdi></a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/index.html">the original</a> on November 5, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 19,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=MHRA+Style+Guide%3A+a+handbook+for+authors%2C+editors%2C+and+writers+of+theses&rft.place=London&rft.pages=33-4&rft.edition=3rd&rft.pub=Modern+Humanities+Research+Association&rft.date=2013&rft.isbn=978-1-78188-009-8&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mhra.org.uk%2FPublications%2FBooks%2FStyleGuide%2Findex.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKelly2005" class="citation news cs1">Kelly, Jeremy (December 16, 2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110924201316/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/article986734.ece">"Online Style Guide – P"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Times" title="The Times">The Times</a></i>. London. pp. (see <i>punctuation/commas</i>). Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/tools_and_services/specials/style_guide/article986734.ece">the original</a> on September 24, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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October 18, 2011. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170923130025/http://www.economist.com/style-guide/commas">Archived</a> from the original on September 23, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 1,</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Punctuation+%E2%80%93+University+of+Oxford&rft.pub=Public+Affairs%2C+University+of+Oxford&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ox.ac.uk%2Fpublic_affairs%2Fservices_and_resources%2Fstyle_guide%2Fpunctuation.html%23acomma&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/o">"Guardian and Observer style guide: O"</a>. <i>The Guardian</i>. London. December 19, 2008. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131109084838/http://www.theguardian.com/styleguide/o">Archived</a> from the original on November 9, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 1,</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=Guardian+and+Observer+style+guide%3A+O&rft.date=2008-12-19&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fstyleguide%2Fo&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPeters2004" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Pam_Peters" title="Pam Peters">Peters, Pam</a> (2004). <a href="/wiki/The_Cambridge_Guide_to_English_Usage" title="The Cambridge Guide to English Usage"><i>The Cambridge Guide to English Usage</i></a>. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-62181-X" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-62181-X"><bdi>0-521-62181-X</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Cambridge+Guide+to+English+Usage&rft.place=Cambridge%2C+England&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2004&rft.isbn=0-521-62181-X&rft.aulast=Peters&rft.aufirst=Pam&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=l2pQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT94"><i>New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide</i></a>. Oxford University Press. 2014. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-164914-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-164914-1"><bdi>978-0-19-164914-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=New+Hart%27s+Rules%3A+The+Oxford+Style+Guide&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=978-0-19-164914-1&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dl2pQBAAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPT94&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAgency" class="citation web cs1">Agency, Digital Transformation. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.australia.gov.au/about-government/publications/style-manual">"Style manual - australia.gov.au"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160312120942/http://www.australia.gov.au/about-government/publications/style-manual">Archived</a> from the original on March 12, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Toronto [Ont.]: Published by Dundurn Press in co-operation with Public Works and Government Services Canada, Translation Bureau, Canada. <a href="/wiki/Translation_Bureau" title="Translation Bureau">Translation Bureau</a>. 1997. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-55002-276-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-55002-276-6"><bdi>978-1-55002-276-6</bdi></a>. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/244771093">244771093</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Canadian+style+%3A+a+guide+to+writing+and+editing.&rft.place=Toronto+%5BOnt.%5D&rft.edition=Rev+and+expanded&rft.pub=Published+by+Dundurn+Press+in+co-operation+with+Public+Works+and+Government+Services+Canada%2C+Translation+Bureau%2C+Canada.+Translation+Bureau.&rft.date=1997&rft_id=info%3Aoclcnum%2F244771093&rft.isbn=978-1-55002-276-6&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcanadianstylegui0000unse&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-56">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVolokh2017" class="citation news cs1">Volokh, Eugene (March 15, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/03/15/a-b-or-c-vs-a-b-or-c-the-serial-comma-and-the-law/">"<span style="padding-left:0.15em;">'</span>A, B or C' vs. 'A, B, or C' – the serial comma and the law"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Washington_Post" title="The Washington Post">The Washington Post</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170316044144/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/03/15/a-b-or-c-vs-a-b-or-c-the-serial-comma-and-the-law/">Archived</a> from the original on March 16, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 15,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Magazine&rft.atitle=Oxford+Comma+Decides+Court+Case+in+Maine+Labor+Dispute&rft.date=2017-03-15&rft.aulast=Clauss&rft.aufirst=Kyle+Scott&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bostonmagazine.com%2Fnews%2Fblog%2F2017%2F03%2F15%2Foxford-comma-maine-labor-dispute%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVictor2017" class="citation news cs1">Victor, Daniel (March 16, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html?_r=2">"Lack of Oxford Comma Could Cost Maine Company Millions in Overtime Dispute"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170810092605/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html?_r=2">Archived</a> from the original on August 10, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 17,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Lack+of+Oxford+Comma+Could+Cost+Maine+Company+Millions+in+Overtime+Dispute&rft.date=2017-03-16&rft.aulast=Victor&rft.aufirst=Daniel&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F03%2F16%2Fus%2Foxford-comma-lawsuit.html%3F_r%3D2&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca1/16-1901/16-1901-2017-03-13.pdf">"<i>O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy</i>"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044120/http://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca1/16-1901/16-1901-2017-03-13.pdf">Archived</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> from the original on September 20, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Maine Legislature official website. March 3, 2018. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180315001634/http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/26/title26sec664.html">Archived</a> from the original on March 15, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 3,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Title+26%3A+Labor+and+Industry%2C+Chapter+7%3A+Employment+Practices%2C+Subchapter+3%3A+Minimum+wages%2C+%C2%A7664.+Minimum+wage%3B+overtime+rate&rft.pub=Maine+Legislature+official+website&rft.date=2018-03-03&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Flegislature.maine.gov%2Fstatutes%2F26%2Ftitle26sec664.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Brexit50p-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Brexit50p_64-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFurness2020" class="citation news cs1">Furness, Hannah (January 27, 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/27/author-calls-brexit-coin-boycott-lack-oxford-comma/">"Author calls for Brexit coin 'boycott' over lack of Oxford comma"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Daily_Telegraph" title="The Daily Telegraph">The Daily Telegraph</a></i>. London. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200127194852/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/27/author-calls-brexit-coin-boycott-lack-oxford-comma/">Archived</a> from the original on January 27, 2020.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Daily+Telegraph&rft.atitle=Author+calls+for+Brexit+coin+%27boycott%27+over+lack+of+Oxford+comma&rft.date=2020-01-27&rft.aulast=Furness&rft.aufirst=Hannah&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2F2020%2F01%2F27%2Fauthor-calls-brexit-coin-boycott-lack-oxford-comma%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-65">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/27/brexit-50p-coin-boycott-philip-pullman-oxford-comma">"Philip Pullman calls for boycott of Brexit 50p coin over 'missing' Oxford comma"</a>. <i>The Guardian</i>. January 27, 2020. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240831010250/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/27/brexit-50p-coin-boycott-philip-pullman-oxford-comma">Archived</a> from the original on August 31, 2024<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">November 12,</span> 2021</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=Philip+Pullman+calls+for+boycott+of+Brexit+50p+coin+over+%27missing%27+Oxford+comma&rft.date=2020-01-27&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbooks%2F2020%2Fjan%2F27%2Fbrexit-50p-coin-boycott-philip-pullman-oxford-comma&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASerial+comma" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&oldid=1250276338">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serial_comma&oldid=1250276338</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:American_and_British_English_differences" title="Category:American and British English differences">American and British English differences</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Punctuation" title="Category:Punctuation">Punctuation</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Punctuation_of_English" title="Category:Punctuation of English">Punctuation of English</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:English_usage_controversies" title="Category:English usage controversies">English usage controversies</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_Latin-language_text" title="Category:Articles containing Latin-language text">Articles containing Latin-language text</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_is_different_from_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description is different from Wikidata">Short description is different from Wikidata</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_mdy_dates_from_February_2023" title="Category:Use mdy dates from February 2023">Use mdy dates from February 2023</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_Ancient_Greek_(to_1453)-language_text" title="Category:Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text">Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 9 October 2024, at 13:20<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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