The Oxford comma should still be used in papers, emails, and all of your writing!

This blog is dedicated to something near and dear to my heart: the Oxford comma. For those that do not know, the Oxford comma is the “optional” second comma when writing a list of three items, as seen in the title of this blog. However, many people leave it off and deem it unnecessary.

In the world of grammar, the Oxford comma is a hot debate, and I know there are plenty that oppose using the Oxford comma. This blog is not meant to offend or aggravate, but instead, it is simply my personal case as to why it should not be forgotten!

How does this apply to me? Well, I consider myself (partially) a “grammar nerd.” It’s part of my brand. I have always enjoyed writing and have always been super picky when it comes to grammar and punctuation. (I definitely inherited this from my mom-- trust me, she’s worse than I am). And no, I’m not the annoying kind that likes to correct everybody… like at all. However, if you give me a piece of written work, I will thoroughly and superbly edit it for you (and also enjoy doing it) because errors stick out to me like a sore thumb.

Back to the Oxford comma, I understand I am so attached to the Oxford comma because I grew up learning to use it, and I will probably never stop. As young as middle and high school, it used to bother me so much when I would see a teacher leave it off. To me, it was like they committed a crime! I understand now that there is definitely a split preference on this, and it is split, for sure. Fivethirtyeight conducted a poll on people’s preferences toward the Oxford comma and results were about even.

For me, I’ve got to include that special comma in my work, and as my evidence for being pro-Oxford comma… Well, I’ll turn to my favorite form of demonstration: pictures.