THE OXFORD COMMA is a form of punctuation – but it’s become a cause of much debate over its usage. We all use commas when writing lists of things. But the Oxford comma has a very special place – it ...

Each week The Old Editor will attempt to address your entreaties for information and advice on grammar and usage, writing, writer-editor etiquette, and related subjects. The Old Editor does not ...

A student in my “History of the English Language” course stopped me after class a few weeks ago and asked, “I was just wondering—how do you feel about the Oxford comma?” She could have asked about the ...

There’s no denying that commas are helpful little flecks of punctuation. They allow us to separate written clauses and do good work when especially numerous or complicated groups of things exist in a ...

There are many people - some of them my friends - who will fight you over the Oxford comma. Some of them consider it necessary for clarity and comprehension. The others consider it all extra. There ...