I heart the serial comma!

[miss_pryss]

I learned to write without a serial comma. I only started using one in the last few years, because my employer's house style indicated a serial comma. I thought it felt a little clumsy, a little inelegant, at first. But I got used to it, and then I got to like it. I like the order of it -- the partitioned chunk, chunk, chunk of a list neatly arranged in comma-bounded boxes. These days, its absence actively bugs me.

According to the Wikipedia article, most newspapers' styleguides recommend against it, including the New York Times, possibly, it suggests, for economy of space. But that doesn't mean that I don't wince when I read headlines like today's Democrats Clash on Trade, Health and Rival Tactics in today's Times. I know it's perfectly correct, it just... sets my teeth on edge.

Comments

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I point to the tired-but-still-perfect example of why the Oxford serial comma is vital.

Book dedication:

"I'd like to dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

seriously. it'll never not be funny. :)

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

True, serial commas are not AP style, but they are CMS style and used in most books. So I definitely have my apples, oranges, and pears.

Someday we'll have to get into a debate about capitalization. :)

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

Mmm, serial fruit.

...What's there to debate about capitalization?

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely. CMS is downstyle capitalization--basically, anytime there's any ambiguity, it's lower case. They're kind of adamant about it. AP style is not so stringent. I had an author get into a fight with the copyeditor over the capitalization of "Southern." According to AP style, it's "Southern." According to CMS, it's "southern" unless referring to the Civil War. The author said not capitalizing it would alienate her Southern readers.

[harriet-spy.livejournal.com]

I, too, used to be a snob about the serial comma, but grew to appreciate it.

I don't think I'm ever going to get used to current house style, though, as it features such gems as:

Bourne admits that he "cries during sex".

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

Can I just say I hope to God that is a made-up example? :D

The issue is the period outside of the quotes, yes? I go back and forth on that one. I used to be militant about it (inside quotes) but then I started hanging out with computer programmers.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Outside the quotes is British, though, yes? American style is always inside the quotes, with the exception of when it would confuse things, like if the quote is not a question but the sentence is the question mark goes outside the quotes.

[lynnmonster.livejournal.com]

Oh! The serial comma! I love it to bits.

Too bad I work for NYC law firms, which have no such love. I just bite the inside of my cheek as necessary and go with the house style, but I think I load up my regular writing with extra commas just to compensate.

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

It's weird to me that lawyers wouldn't love the serial comma, as it cuts down on so much ambiguity.

[glendaglamazon.livejournal.com]

The serial comma is a thing of beauty, joy, and happiness! I am so glad you were a convert to it, since most of us who love it so had it trained into us from an early age. It just makes sense, dammit!

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

I know!

[perfectbinding.livejournal.com]

Oddly, our (US branch) house style is to use the serial comma, while the UK branch's house style isn't. We've got a bit of everything!

[miss-pryss.livejournal.com]

The Wikipedia article did mention the serial comma is used more commonly in the US than the UK. I wonder why that is...