In English punctuation, the serial coma or the semicolon (also called the Oxford comma or the Harvard coma ) is a comma which is placed just before the coordination coordinates (usually and or or ) in a series of three or more terms. For example, a list of three countries may be interrupted either as "France, Italy, Ã, and Spanish" (with serial coma), or as "French, Italian Ã, and Spanish" (without a comma).
Opinions among authors and editors differ on whether to use serial coma, and their use is also somewhat different between the different types of regional English. In American English, not using serial coma is often characterized as a journalistic writing style, in contrast to a more academic or formal style. The majority of American-style guides require the use of a serial coma, including the APA style, the Chicago Style Manual , the MLA Style Guidelines , Strunk and White Style Elements , and US Government Printing Office Style Manual . Instead, Associated Press Stylebook advises against it. In Canada, a stylebook published by The Canadian Press advises against doing so. It's rarely used in English English, but some British style guides require it, especially the The Oxford Style Manual . According to The Oxford Companion to English , "Commas are used to separate items in a list or sequence... Usage varies like inclusion of commas before and in the last item... This practice controversial and is known as a coma serial or an Oxford coma, as it is part of the Oxford University Press home style. "Some use it only when necessary to avoid ambiguity, in contrast to guides such as Garner Modern American Usage, which advocate the use of routine to avoid ambiguity.
Video Serial comma
Arguments for and against
Common arguments for consistent use of serial coma:
- The use of coma is consistent with conventional practice.
- Matches better sentence rhythms.
- Can resolve ambiguity (see example below).
- The usage is consistent with other ways to separate items in the list (for example, when semicolons are used to separate items, semicolons are consistently included before the last item even when and or or there).
- Failure to suggest a stronger relationship between the last two items in the series than is actually there.
- For "to prevent misreads that the last item is part of the previous one".
Common arguments against consistent use of serial coma:
- The use of commas is inconsistent with conventional practices.
- Coma can introduce ambiguity (see example below).
- This is redundant in a simple list because and or or is often meant to serve (by itself) to mark the logical separation between the last two items, except the two end items are not the items is completely separate but is a two part part of a single item combined.
- If space is at a premium, commas add unnecessary bulk to the text.
Many sources are opposed to systematic use and systematic avoidance from serial coma, making recommendations in more nuanced ways (see Usage and so on).
Maps Serial comma
Ambiguity
Resolving ambiguity
Styles that always use serial comas may be less likely to produce ambiguity. Consider the dedication of this apocryphal book:
- To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.
There is an ambiguity about the origin of the author, because "Ayn Rand and God" can be read as in the apposition for my parents, leading the reader to believe that the author claims Ayn Rand and God are parents. The commas before and remove ambiguity:
- To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.
But lists can also be written in other ways that eliminate ambiguity without introducing serial comics, such as by changing word order or by using other punctuation, or none, to introduce or restrict them (although the emphasis can thus be changed):
- To God, Ayn Rand and my parents.
An example collected by Nielsen Hayden was found in a newspaper account of a documentary about Merle Haggard:
- Among those interviewed were two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall.
The following serial comic "Krisdayanti" will help prevent this being understood as Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall as a questionable ex-wife.
Other examples are:
- The usual breakfasts are coffee, bacon and eggs and toast.
It is not clear whether the eggs are grouped with bacon or toast. Adding a serial coma eliminates this ambiguity.
Authors who usually avoid serial coma often use it in situations like this, although sometimes rearranging such list elements can help too.
Creating ambiguity
In some circumstances using serial commas can create ambiguity. If the dedication of the above book is changed to
- For my mother, Ayn Rand, and God
serial comics after Ayn Rand creates ambiguity about the author's mother because it uses the same punctuation used for the exact phrase, so it is unclear whether this is a list of three entities (1, my mother; 2, Ayn Rand; and 3, God) or just two entities (1, my mother, who is Ayn Rand; and 2, God).
Unresolved ambiguity
The Times has published a humorous description of the unintentional documentary of Peter Ustinov, noting that "the highlight of his global tour includes a meeting with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old god and a dildo collector". It would still be ambiguous if a serial coma was added, because Mandela could still be mistaken as a demigod, even though he would be prevented from becoming a dildo collector.
Or consider
- They went to Oregon with Betty, an assistant, and a cook.
It's ambiguous because it's unclear whether "an assistant" is a Betty who describes Betty, or the second one on the list of three. On the other hand, removing the last comma:
- They went to Oregon with Betty, an assistant and a cook.
leaving the possibility that Betty is a maid and cook (with "helpers and chefs" who read as a unit, in apposition to Betty). So in this case both serial-coma and comma-style styles without a coma-series resolve ambiguity. A writer who intends to make a list of three different people (Betty, helpers, chefs) can make ambiguous sentences, regardless of whether serial coma is adopted. Furthermore, if the reader does not know which convention is used, both versions are always ambiguous.
These forms (among other things) will remove ambiguities:
- One person
- They went to Oregon with Betty, who was a maid and chef.
- They went to Oregon with Betty, both a maid and a chef.
- They go to Oregon with Betty (an assistant and chef).
- They went to Oregon with Betty, their maids and chefs.
- Two people
- They went to Oregon with Betty (an assistant) and a cook.
- They go to Oregon with Betty - an assistant - and a cook.
- They went to Oregon with Betty, an assistant, and with a cook.
- They went to Oregon with Betty's assistant and a cook.
- They go to Oregon with the chef and Betty, an assistant.
- They went to Oregon with Betty, an assistant; and a cook.
- Three people
- They went to Oregon with Betty, as well as assistants and cooks.
- They went to Oregon with Betty and an assistant and a cook.
- They went to Oregon with Betty, an assistant and a cook.
- They go to Oregon with an assistant, cook, and Betty.
- They went with Betty to Oregon with an assistant and a cook.
Generally
- The list of x, y and z is unambiguous if y and z can not be read as in apposition to x .
- Same, x, y, and z are not ambiguous if y can not be read as in apposition to x .
- Otherwise y and y [, ] and z can be read as in apposition to x , then both lists are not ambiguous; but if both y and y and z can be read as in apposition to x , both forms of the list are ambiguous.
- x and y and z are not ambiguous if x and y and y and z can not be grouped.
Uses
In the style guide Eat, Shoot & amp; Leaves, Lynne Truss wrote: "There are those who embrace the Oxford coma, and those who do not, and I will only say this: never get between these people when drinking has been taken. "
The lack of serial coma use is often characterized as a journalistic writing style, in contrast to a more academic or formal style. Journalists usually do not use serial coma, perhaps for space economy. Various journalistic style guides (such as those published by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press, The Times in the United Kingdom, and Canadian Press) recommends its use (see below).
A key consideration may be whether the use (or lack of use) in a document is consistent or not. Inconsistent usage may look unprofessional.
Chicago Manual of Style , Strunk and White's Elements of Style , and the US Government Print Office requires the use of serial coma. In the UK some authorities oppose its use, although others (especially Oxford University Press) do recommend it.
In Australia, Canada, and South Africa, serial coma tend not to be used in non-academic publications unless their absence generates ambiguity. The Australian Government Editing Style Manual for the Author, Editor and Printer (6th edition, 2002) recommends not to do so, except "to ensure clarity" (p.a, 102).
Individual disputes
Maine labor disputes
In the US state of Maine, the lack of serial coma becomes the deciding factor in the $ 13 million lawsuit filed in 2014 that was finally set at $ 5 million by 2017. When US appellate judge David J. Barron wrote, "To want a comma , we have this case. "
In the case known as O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy , the country's appeals court is required to interpret the law in which "canning, processing, preservation, freezing, drying, marketing, storage, packaging for delivery or distribution" of certain goods are activities that are exempt from general terms of overtime pay; the question is whether this list includes the distribution of goods, or just packing goods for distribution. The lack of a comma suggests a meaning, while the disappearance of the conjunction or before the "packing" and the fact that the Legislative Maine Writing Guidelines recommends not to use serial coma. suggest another. It says, "Although the authorities concerning punctuation may differ, when drafting a law or Maine rule, do not use commas between the last second part of the last series." In addition to the absence of a coma, the fact that the selected word is "distribution" rather than "distribute" is also a consideration, such as the question of whether it would make sense to consider the list to be an asyndetic list (a list in which the coordinates of the relationship do not exist). Truck drivers demand overtime pay, and defenders recognize that the phrase is ambiguous, but says it should be interpreted as exempting the distribution of overtime. The lower court agrees with the defense and states that "distribution" is an excluded activity. On appeal, the Circuit Court ruled that the sentence was ambiguous and "because, under Maine law, ambiguity in country wage and clock laws should be interpreted freely to achieve their improvement objectives", adopting a narrower reading of the driver. exemption and decides that persons who distribute the goods are entitled to overtime pay. Oakhurst Dairy settles the case by paying $ 5 million to the driver, and the phrase in the relevant legislation is then amended to use a serial point of coma and "distribute" - resulting in "canning, processing, storage, freezing, drying, marketing, storage, packing for delivery ; or distribute ing ".
In the following languages, serial commas are not the norm and may violate punctuation rules:
See also
- Syndeton, a conjunctive phrase that may or may not contain a serial coma
- Roger Casement, "hanged on a comma" because there is no punctuation in the contested law
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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