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Heathside Boy Posted 4 years ago
Grammar

When to use the Oxford comma

I know what an Oxford comma is, but as I reside in the UK, apparently, there is no need for them to be used here. Having said that, if you are writing fiction, should you not use them anyway, even in the UK? I say this just in case the USA may take an interest in publishing also. I have also come across the phrase below and the extra comma here, completely changes the sentence meaning so not using the Oxford comma can lead to confusion in some instances.

Consider these two sentences:

‘I had the most interesting dinner last night with my wife, a doctor and a writer.’

and ‘

'I had the most interesting dinner last night with my wife, a doctor, and a writer.'

In the first sentence, it seems that the speaker had dinner with his wife, who is a doctor and a writer.
In the second sentence, the speaker had dinner with three people: his wife, a doctor, and a writer.

So you see my point. So should I use the Oxford comma anyway?

Any answer to this will be most appreciative.

HB

  

Top answer

Heathside Boy Any answer to this will be most appreciative. appreciated Any ambiguity arising from the use or omission of a comma must be addressed by the writer. There is always another way to put it that corrects the problem.

— Anonymous

  • Heathside Boy Any answer to this will be most appreciative.
  • appreciated Any ambiguity arising from the use or omission of a comma must be addressed by the writer.
  • There is always another way to put it that corrects the problem.
  • You will find that every single instance of a supposed problem of this kind is contrived and easily avoidable.
  • ' The comma is optional and makes no real difference.
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1 Answers
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Heathside BoyAny answer to this will be most appreciative.

appreciated

Any ambiguity arising from the use or omission of a comma must be addressed by the writer. There is always another way to put it that corrects the problem. You will find that every single instance of a supposed problem of this kind is contrived and easily avoidable.

For examp

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