Newser-
For instilling in us a love of language, we offer a shout-out to our English teachers, William Safire and Mary Norris.
In that sentence, we’re trying to thank our teachers plus those two grammar gurus. If you didn’t read it that way, witness the importance of the Oxford comma. It’s the punctuation mark used after the second-to-last item in a list of three or more items, and it would render the previous sentence as “our English teachers, William Safire, and Mary Norris” … and it’s often more important than people give it credit for. Among those who recently found this out, per Mashable: dairy drivers in Maine who won an appeal because of a missing Oxford comma.
In the suit over overtime pay against Oakhurst Dairy, first filed in 2014, drivers complained that a list of tasks not eligible for overtime did not make it clear whether “distribution” counted, mainly because of the lack of comma.
To wit, not eligible for overtime are “the canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of” various food products. Because there was no comma after “shipment,” the drivers argued that packing for shipment and distribution (a single entity revolving around packing) wasn’t overtime-eligible, but that distribution without packing (what the drivers do) was.
Oakhurst argued that Maine’s legislation style guide nixes Oxford commas, and that “distribution” was meant to be separate, but the drivers pointed out all other separate items on the list were gerunds ending in “ing,” so “distribution” didn’t fit the pattern, Quartz notes. On Monday, per CNN, an appeals court decided the drivers were eligible for overtime and the suit can head back to a lower court, as labor laws are designed to benefit workers—period.
And there’s the famous story of the panda who walked into a coffee house, had a bite to eat and then whipped out his Uzi and shot the place up.
Or did he just eat his natural diet and go his merry way?
Panda eats, shoots and leaves.
Panda eats shoots and leaves.
comma comma comma comma comma chameleon
sorry
(I should add that it’s not the Oxford at issue in my sentences, but it’s a fun example anyway.)
I don’t use the Oxford UNLESS my sentence is constructed such as the one above (in OP), otherwise it’s redundant. People who insist it ALWAYS has to be there are often the same ones who claim you can’t end a sentence with a preposition, not knowing that the rule applied in Latin for a reason; that reason doesn’t exist in English.
Next up: MLA discussion on why it doesn’t include year in parenthetical references. Also, the ten year grace period on two spaces after a full stop is OVER! 😛
I had a couple great English teachers in the early 70s. They showed me how to write effectively, but more importantly, they taught me how to read effectively. The older I get, the less evidence there is of both.
I started telling my daughters in grade school: “Master the language, and you can do anything.” Thank God, they did, and they did.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
“grace period on two spaces after a full stop is OVER!”
NEVER!
Next quiz: e.g. OR i.e.
I see more often than not misused (particularly among supposed journalists).
The commas in the Second Amendment have been a burr in the asses of lawyers for years: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Reams have been written about those commas.
But anyway, the mention of William Safire perked me up. A stalwart journalist at The New York Times for years, Mr. Safire told the world that Hillary Clinton was a “congenital liar.” He later backed off, but he made his mark.
The irony is (oh, I never know how to use that word, irony. I have this friend who uses “irony” and “ironic” every second sentence. It’s ironic, he’d say, that I used a seven iron instead of a six iron on this hole. I’d say no, that’s not ironic, that’s stupid,
you’ve only been playing this course fifteen fucking years.)
As I was saying, the irony is that William Safire was a guru of English at the Times, now we have this asshole, Ben Rothenberg at the Times, who doesn’t know the difference between Guerilla and Gorella. Now, is that irony. And how are my commas?
“When we build houses in our heads we imagine the best floor plans.”
That sentence was on a student essay I once read. I gave the kid a poor score for conventions (grammar) even though it gave me a good laugh.
eternal cracker p. My apologies, I had not read your masterpiece on commas.
@Lisl – I thought that was about a Koala at a brothel.
Eats bushes and leaves (without paying).
Based on her comma comments, I would say that Lisl is a crafty linguist.
(Yeah, yeah, I know, but I’m not going there. Shame on you for even thinking that.)
😉
@burner ~ I thought it was …. ‘eat’s broad leaves’
(insert comma if appropriate) 😉
This whole discussion just begs the question.
I so much prefer engrish.
I seem to remember something about helping your Uncle Jack off the horse…
In defense of commenters and commas, using an iPhone in the vertical orientation requires one to select the numeric keyboard in order to access the comma. Pain in the neck for lazy people like me. So, I often omit them, even though I know a comma is required.
I was taught to use the Oxford comma. I still use it, in spite of the grammar revisionists.