On the same vein as Tim's post, the serial comma is something of a problem. I have been taught (in the past and fairly recently), that the serial comma comes into effect only when more than two options are described. That is, if I write "Select a or b" or "Select a and b" the comma is not required.
However, the comma is required when either more than two options are available, or one of the options has two options. That is, you can have "Select a, b, or c" or "Select a or b, c, or d" or "Select a, b or c, and d" and all the other possible variations.
But now I am being told that I must have a comma at all times to ensure that there is no confusion. So, I find myself continously having to correct what I write to introduce that extra comma "You can select a, or b".
Personally, I do not agree with this option. Thoughts?
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I am actually a big fan of the Oxford comma although it is unpopular (and often considered "wrong" by teachers and professors) here in the USA. I've finally had to settle on a modified set of rules for myself that is largely unrelated to the number of options theory that you posted above (which, by the way, I actually like).
ReplyDeleteI avoid the serial comma in academic and business papers whenever possible. However, when I feel that its omission could cause problems, I include it anyway.
I can still remember an OLD example from my 7th grade English teacher about the man who left a will splitting his estate "equally between my sons John, David and Paul". John's attorney argued that the intent was the estate be split right down the middle, with "John" taking one half, and "David and Paul" taking the other half. Written "John, David, and Paul" the split would have been 3 ways. John won the case.