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23rd June 2009

Photo reblogged from Y'all want some sweet tea? with 22 notes

geesebot: 2arrs2ells: pablog: I prefer the serial comma. My employer still does not. nicksummers: Aux barricades! Style rules adjusting to the web? What’s the temperature in hell these days? I thought that was a grammatical thing rather than style? Like in a will, if you wrote, “I leave everything to Betsy, Tacy and Tib,” that could be (and actually was, I think?) interpreted in court as, “I leave half to Betsy. Tacy and Tib should split the other half.” That serial comma is grammatically mandatory! There are some great examples of when the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma or Harvard comma) on the wikipedia page. Traditionally, the serial comma has been shunned by journalists because of the space/newsprint it takes up (and going even farther back, the time it would take to set the type for the extra comma by hand). But even there, it’s accepted in cases where it would eliminate ambiguity (see the CJR, or if their site is still down Google’s cache). Your example wouldn’t count in the AP’s book though (I’d argue that no comma-wrangling would make the sentence imply a division other than thirds - you’d need something like “I’d leave half to Betsy and half to Tacy and Tib.” to get that effect). <3 <3 <3 grammar nerdery.

geesebot:

2arrs2ells:

pablog:

I prefer the serial comma. My employer still does not.

nicksummers:

Aux barricades!

Style rules adjusting to the web? What’s the temperature in hell these days?

I thought that was a grammatical thing rather than style? Like in a will, if you wrote, “I leave everything to Betsy, Tacy and Tib,” that could be (and actually was, I think?) interpreted in court as, “I leave half to Betsy. Tacy and Tib should split the other half.” That serial comma is grammatically mandatory!

There are some great examples of when the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma or Harvard comma) on the wikipedia page.

Traditionally, the serial comma has been shunned by journalists because of the space/newsprint it takes up (and going even farther back, the time it would take to set the type for the extra comma by hand). But even there, it’s accepted in cases where it would eliminate ambiguity (see the CJR, or if their site is still down Google’s cache). Your example wouldn’t count in the AP’s book though (I’d argue that no comma-wrangling would make the sentence imply a division other than thirds - you’d need something like “I’d leave half to Betsy and half to Tacy and Tib.” to get that effect).

<3 <3 <3 grammar nerdery.

Tagged: content

Source: nicksummers

  1. awhellyeah reblogged this from shiningstar and added:
    *I love serial commas, too! This is great.
  2. abeird reblogged this from mcdavis and added:
    i learned the new way, with the serial commas. It bugs me to no end when there’s not one there, it breaks up the...
  3. glitterati reblogged this from shiningstar and added:
    Plus one for serial commas.
  4. mcdavis reblogged this from shiningstar and added:
    I always frown at it. I guess I was always taught the “old style” and I prefer it. The old style looks cleaner and is...
  5. shiningstar reblogged this from lialia and added:
    should say that I love, love, love them.
  6. swampgirlrunamok reblogged this from 2arrs2ells and added:
    I despise the serial comma. I think it just ruins a sentance with gratuitous markings, and you will not convince me...
  7. 2arrs2ells reblogged this from geesebot and added:
    There are some great examples of when the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma or Harvard comma) on the wikipedia page....
  8. geesebot reblogged this from 2arrs2ells and added:
    I thought that was a grammatical thing rather than style? Like in a will, if you wrote, “I leave everything to Betsy,...
  9. 2arrs2ells reblogged this from pablog and added:
    Style rules adjusting to the web? What’s the temperature in hell these days?
  10. pablog reblogged this from nicksummers and added:
    I prefer the serial comma. My employer still does not.
  11. ohrohin reblogged this from lialia and added:
    This is also known as an Oxford Comma.
  12. lialia reblogged this from nicksummers and added:
    No! I hate serial commas. I really do. They are messy.
  13. nicksummers posted this