You might upset a few patriotic pedants, but it is not wrong to use the Oxford comma in British English. You do, however, need to be consistent. For example, if you use single quote marks for the first quote in an essay, make sure to use the same style throughout.
Why you shouldn't use the Oxford comma?
Why don't they use it? Many opponents of the Oxford comma claim that it makes a piece of writing sound more pretentious and stuffy , and that it can make things seem cluttered and redundant. Many magazine publishers renounce its use as well, because sentences loaded with commas take up valuable page space.
Are Oxford commas grammatically correct?
An Oxford, or serial, comma is the last comma in a list; it goes before the word “and.” Technically, it's grammatically optional in American English .
What is an Oxford comma UK?
The serial comma (also known as the “Oxford comma” in the UK) is a comma placed before the last item in a list of three or more things . In American English, we use this comma as standard: ... Many British style guides, however, recommend omitting the final comma: I believe in good spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Why is it called an Oxford comma?
The Oxford comma is the final comma that comes before the conjunction in a list of three or more items. Its name comes from the Oxford University Press (OUP) , where for over a century it has been standard in the Oxford Style Manual.
What is the difference between an Oxford comma and a regular comma?
What is the Difference Between an Oxford Comma and a Regular Comma? ... Technically, the Oxford comma is no different since it's still a comma . However, unlike the regular comma that holds grammatical significance, the use of an Oxford or serial comma is a stylistic choice.
Which countries use Oxford comma?
“In British practice there's an Oxford/Cambridge divide ... In Canada and Australia the serial comma is recommended only to prevent ambiguity or misreading.” “The so-called ‘Oxford comma' is an optional comma that follows the penultimate item in a list of three or more items and precedes the word ‘and' ...
Who invented the full stop?
The full stop symbol derives from the Greek punctuation introduced by Aristophanes of Byzantium in the 3rd century BCE. In his system, there were a series of dots whose placement determined their meaning.
When should an Oxford comma be used?
The Oxford comma is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of things . For example, in “the flag was red, white, and blue”, the Oxford comma would be the one appearing before “and”. Proponents of the Oxford comma say it's necessary for removing ambiguity in sentences.
Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before and?
1. Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) that links two independent clauses. You may need to learn a few grammatical terms to understand this one.
What style does not use Oxford comma?
AP Style —the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.
Is the Oxford comma used in APA?
APA uses the serial (or Oxford) comma in lists of three or more items (i.e., Groucho, Harpo, and Zeppo). Most prefixes are not hyphenated: semistructured, nondenominational, multimedia, antisocial, posttest, pretest, and so forth.
Why are full stops offensive?
In 2015, leading language expert Professor David Crystal published the book Making a Point, in which he explained that the full stop has become an “emotion marker” used to signify anger or annoyance. ... Full stops, he said, can cause the message to be perceived as “cold, angry or passive-aggressive .”
What is full stop called in English?
The period (known as a full stop in British English) is probably the simplest of the punctuation marks to use. You use it like a knife to cut the sentences to the required length.
Who invented questionmark?
The rhetorical question mark or percontation point (see Irony punctuation) was invented by Henry Denham in the 1580s and was used at the end of a rhetorical question; however, it became obsolete in the 17th century.
Does the Chicago Manual of Style use the Oxford comma?
Chicago has a few rules about commas that are easy to overlook. The most important is that Chicago “strongly recommends” using a serial (or Oxford) comma for lists of three or more items .
