In Response To The Oxford Comma

Sergio Alberto Romero, Ed.D.
2 min readJan 2, 2023
Photo by Nils Lindner on Unsplash

The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is a punctuation mark that is used before the final item in a list of three or more items. For example, in the sentence “I would like to thank my parents, the director, and the producers,” the Oxford comma would be placed after “director,” as shown: “I would like to thank my parents, the director, and the producers.” Some people argue that the Oxford comma is important for clarity and precision, while others believe that it is unnecessary and can even be confusing. Here are three reasons why the Oxford comma might be considered “dumb” by some people:

  1. It is not always necessary: One reason why some people might consider the Oxford comma to be unnecessary is that it is not always necessary for clarity. In many cases, the meaning of a sentence is clear even without the use of the Oxford comma. For example, in the sentence “I would like to thank my parents, the director and the producers,” the meaning is still clear even without the Oxford comma. In cases like this, the Oxford comma could be seen as redundant and unnecessary.
  2. It can be inconsistent: Another reason why some people might consider the Oxford comma to be “dumb” is that it is often used in an inconsistent manner. While some style guides recommend the use of the Oxford comma, others do not, which can lead to confusion and inconsistency in written…

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Sergio Alberto Romero, Ed.D.

The elements compose a magnum opus. My modus operandi is amalgam.