TWO WIVES, GIGGLES AND CHUCKLES

Are you like me, a grammar curmudgeon who cringes at poor grammar or punctuation?

Never mind that I make my own share of mistakes. I'm well-known for run-on sentences and other misdemeanors, but some examples aggravate me. One of my pet peeves is the Oxford comma or the lack of an Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is the final comma that separates a word in a list and in some writing style books is routinely left out. Punctuation provides clarity; otherwise, writing can become unintentionally humorous.

An example of how important that comma can be:

"Among those interviewed were Tommy Smith's two wives, Mark Zito and Robert Wentworth."

"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ann Patchett and God."

"Highlights of the Branka's global tour include encounters with Mick Jagger, an 800-year-old demi-god and an exotic art collector."


All three of these sentences could be rewritten by either adding an Oxford comma before the word "and" or changing the order of the words in the list.

"Among those interviewed were Mark Zito,  Robert Wentworth and Tommy Smith's two wives."
(As I write this my computer's grammar app has underlined the "and" to tell me to add a comma.)

Clarity counts!

AP Style, used by most newspapers, does not require Oxford commas, but that style guide expects you to remember to check your work. In order to eliminate the Oxford comma, I need to be sure that I write with clarity. Otherwise, I will give someone the guffaws, chuckles, or giggles.

More from Inktober

What a little water will do to a piece of paper! Good thing this is practice.

Have you worked on an October daily project?


Check the Comments from my blog post "What's Good For You" to see one of Teresa Caldwell's daily poems at https://marthaslavin.blogspot.com

**************

Rest in Peace, Elijah Cummings, you stood for justice.