I mean, if authors won’t stand up for the Oxford comma, who will?
Some context: this week, Great Britain’s Royal Mint pulled the curtain back on a new, Brexit-themed 50c piece. It reads: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations,” words taken from an 1801 inaugural address from Thomas Jefferson.
From throwing them down the drain to refusing to accept them as legal tender, please can you tweet me the most deranged Remoaner reactions to the Brexit coin that I may have missed... thanks! pic.twitter.com/u48DGGmjdc
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) January 27, 2020
It seems a little odd to have words from an American president on an English coin, but what really cheesed people off was the lack of an Oxford comma. For the non-grammar dorks in the room, an Oxford comma goes between the last and second-to-last items on a list, as in, “I need to go to the store and get pears, pineapple, and pizza.” The new coin has a comma between the first and second items on the list, but not the second and third. This has angered figures as prominent as Philip Pullman, the author of the beloved His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, which HBO is currently adapting as a series.
The 'Brexit' 50p coin is missing an Oxford comma, and should be boycotted by all literate people.
— Philip Pullman (@PhilipPullman) January 26, 2020
Those are fighting words, Pullman! Who else will stand up for the Oxford comma?
I used to be a big fan of the Oxford comma, but at least when it comes to blogging, it doesn’t seem to be in favor right now, so my lists remain clean, uncluttered and free of excess punctuation.
That said, of course I’ll make exceptions for instances where not including the Oxford comma would alter the meaning of the sentence. I like The Guardian’s example of what happens when you leave out the Oxford comma dogmatically. Check out the differences in these two sentences, one with the Oxford comma…
"I dedicate this book to my parents, Martin Amis, and J.K. Rowling"
…and one without:
"I dedicate this book to my parents, Martin Amis and J.K. Rowling."
One of those says what you want it to you say, and the other makes a pretty bold maternity claim that probably won’t hold up in court.
So even though I don’t use the Oxford comma as a rule, there are times when it’s useful. Whether it’s present or not, I don’t think I’d use it as the basis for a boycott.
But of course, the pushback against the coin has more to do than just grammar. The coin is being minted in honor of Brexit, of the United Kingdom splitting from the European Union, a contentious issue that has torn the country apart for years. Naturally, feelings are running high.
Or I dunno, maybe it is the grammar. Feelings run hot there, too. Use a semicolon wrong in front of me and see what happens.
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