Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A comma preceding the final conjunction in a list of three or more items, especially to provide clarity.

Etymologies

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Examples

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Comments

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  • "The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma) is the comma used immediately before a grammatical conjunction (nearly always and or or; sometimes nor) that precedes the last item in a list of three or more items. The phrase "ham, chips, and eggs", for example, is written with the serial comma, while "ham, chips and eggs", identical in meaning, excludes it."

    - Wikipedia

    October 30, 2007

  • Oh, we had a lovely discussion about this...

    October 30, 2007

  • Oh, I missed that. Must have been back when I had a real job :-)

    I don't have a strong opinion, but have always followed AP Style, and dispensed with it.

    October 30, 2007

  • See comments at expunction.

    May 19, 2018

  • See also ha ha ha.

    May 19, 2018