Oxford Comma
 

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Invalid poll!

WAIT FOR THE POLE!

How could you fools possibly vote yes?

Had to look into Wiki to get what this is about. In Kraut normally it's uncommon, but my presence in the anglophone net sphere has kinda brainwashed me to use it myself http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.gif

No, no and no.

Whichever produces the least ambiguous sentence.

People who refuse to use the Oxford comma are undoubtedly illbred, boorish, and retarded.

Explicitly forbidden in Russian. http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif

The Oxford Comma is the only unambiguous way to make a list.

Consider the classic example:
To my parents, Ayn Rand and God. This could mean two very different things, sans Oxford Comma.

I usually write "X, Y, and Z" rather then X, Y and Z"

I still think it's an invalid poll.

;

Interesting bunch of people agreeing. Me, Asher, Slowwy, and Oerdin all on the same side.

Crap. Anything that Ben AND Oerdin agree on must be the wrongest thing ever... like a Platonic form of wrong-ness

The opportunity was too good to pass up. "My parents, Ayn Rand and God" is as though Ayn Rand is substituted for Mary as the mother of Jesus. Considering the recent debate in the other thread about your (and Dave Floyd's) claims of the capitalist underpinnings of the Gospel, I thought alluding to your Capitalist Jesus™ in this instance was a good opportunity.

It is not to be taken literally. It was an attempt at humor.

The counterexample is stupid because that is not a list. It was a poor stylistic choice better serviced by paranthesis.

It is not to be taken literally. It was an attempt at humor. I did laugh, but wanted to be sure that was the intent. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif You're not the first who's said that btw.

Wrongest?

Should obviously be:
"To my mother (Ayn Rand) and God"
or:
"To God and my mother, Ayn Rand"

An Oxford Comma is only to be used when there are three or more items in a list. What? Ayn Rand, your mother and God are three different things. But if you use the Oxford comma then it looks like two different things because Oxford commas are stupid.