Tuesday, May 16, 2006

What difference does it make?

The serial comma. Sometimes in vogue, sometimes not. The last decade or more has been a particularly uncomfortable time for enthusiasts of the serial comma. I can't explain why our grammatical mores have turned in such an ugly direction, but I do know I've always loved, cherished, and adored the serial comma for its unique ability to separate individual components of the English language.

FYI: The serial comma is the second comma in a sequence of three words or phrases, preceded by a preposition.

For example, "I had sex with James, Craig, and Mitch" perfectly communicates that I had sex with each of them either individually or collectively, whatever your libido desires to imagine.

But if I wrote that "I had sex with James, Craig and Mitch" (note there's no comma after Craig), you might reasonably assume that Craig and Mitch and I participated in a liaison of which James was not a part, and I can assure you that was not the case. The only solution to this ambiguity, as I see it, is the serial comma.

P.S. Sex with James, Craig, and Mitch is fantastic.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can I order a The Other Style Council T-shirt?

4:18 PM  
Blogger The Narrator said...

Three points:

1. I, too, support the serial comma.

2. The L.A. Weekly does not use the serial comma in most instances.

3. I have not had relations with James, Derek, and Mitch. Nor James, Derek and Mitch. Nor any other combination thereof.

4:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

2 things:
I always thought it was called the "finial" comma

also, I still have not received the T-shirt I ordered

Libby

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