Thursday, June 28, 2007

Music: Vampire Weekend, "Oxford Comma"



This song by Vampire Weekend has been lodged in my head all week thanks to numerous other music blogs, so I'm passing it on, with commentary on the subject matter that most will find ingratiating:

Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma? I do, for one. Given that I was bitten by the copy-editing bug a year or so ago, it is mildly concerning. Given that I worked with people who are much more passionate about that job than I was, it was the source of contention and some passionate discourse.

For those who are not grammar enthusiasts, an Oxford Comma is the comma that comes before "and" in a list.

Example, with:
I told him to buy a bag of lemons, limes, and cherries.
Example, without:
I told him to buy a bag of lemons, limes and cherries.

It's controversial because it is grammatically correct either way, but various publishers have unique standards for it. Otherwise, it's a matter of taste. I tend to avoid it. Where do YOU fall, grammatically engaged reader?

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