Thread: Commas in English

That's odd I was always told that you should NEVER use a comma before an and in a list ,and (see that'snot incorrect there, I'm going on to a different idea, not just listing) I would be astonished if a British teacher/proffesor told me to use it before the final item on a list. It is almost always incorrect to say ",and" because a comma is essentially a short-form way of writing "and" in most cases

P.S. please could the non-native (and native!) english speakers note: grammAr sentenCe, not grammer and sentense

Perhaps Brits are taught differently (which makes it weird that the last comma is called an Oxford).

From Jack Lynch's Guide to Grammar and Style:

In most house styles, the comma is preferred before the last item in a list: "the first, second, and third chapters." (This is known as the serial comma or the Oxford comma.) Leaving it out — "the first, second and third chapters" — is a habit picked up from journalism. While it saves a teensy bit of space and effort, omitting the final comma runs the risk of suggesting the last two items (in the example above, the second and third chapters) are some sort of special pair. A famous (and perhaps apocryphal?) dedication makes the danger clear: "To my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

the only thing i remember my teachers ever saying about commas is like, it is like a period. but not quite as strong, use a comma to put a break in a long sentence, a stop between thoughts, or for a short pause before moving on. i think i have used several good examples of comma's in the paragraph . =P

I know German uses a lot more commas than English and I expect Russian does too.

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In "proper" English (ie as spoken in England ... alright, in "proper British English" if you really must!) that comma before the "and" is definitely not there! The only exception is when there are lots of "ands" e.g.

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So just a warning: if you're looking for definitive instructions for English, you might not find them! :P

-- Well, if English wasn't my first language (even though it shouldn't be), I wouldn't have a clue of all the slang on programmes. Prime example, Coronation Street. 'Proper' English is hard to find nowadays. And don't get my started about the inncorrect uses of the apostrophe!

Oh Ok, I won't...

window's daffodil's apple's

"To my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

Well, it seems this famous saying is not applicable to English

Originally Posted by Академик Лихачев

Хорошо, кода у студентов много оригинальных идей. Но есть одна область, где любая из них – ошибка. Эта область - правописание.

(It's good when students have many original ideas. But there is an area, where any of them is an error. This is grammar*.)

* "Правописание" in Russian means all of grammar, spelling, punctuation etc.

A bit off topic 'cause it's in Russian, but it's one of the funniest examples of double-meaning sentences without quotes. Try to put commas correctly

Очень-очень странный вид
Речка за окном горит
Чей-то дом хвостом виляет
Пёсик из ружья стреляет
Мальчик чуть не слопал мышку
Кот в очках читает книжку
Старый дед влетел в окно
Воробей схватил зерно
Да как крикнет улетая:
"Вот что значит запятая!"

Борис Заходер