If you have any hipster sensibilities, you may be familiar with New York-based rock band Vampire Weekend and one of its most widely known hits: “Oxford Comma.” The very NSFW lyrics, from which I pulled the title of this post, don’t actually take a side in the classic grammatical debate of “to serial comma or not to serial comma?” However, it’s definitely a catchy tune. Though it may reveal the band’s decidedly ambivalent stance on the Oxford comma question, the song also serves as evidence of this debate’s pervasiveness. Who ever thought a grammar question would become part of American pop culture?

What is the Oxford comma anyway?

The Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma) is a comma placed before the coordinating conjunction in a list of three or more items.

Say WHAT? Let’s look at some examples!

Those who advocate for the use of the serial comma would phrase a breakfast order thusly:

“I’ll have a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll.”

See that comma between egg and and? That’s your Oxford comma.

People who think the Oxford comma is extraneous would write the same sentence this way:

“I’ll have a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a roll.”

They don’t use a comma between the second to last item in a series and the coordinating conjunction (in this case, “and”).

So what’s the big deal?

For those who don’t take a strong stance for or against the Oxford comma, there may be some confusion as to what exactly this debate is all about. This post will give you a little serial comma playbook to help you choose a side. But be careful: you’re wading into contentious territory here. Those of us with dogs in this fight will defend our punctuation persuasions to the finish.

Orthodox Oxford Acolytes

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note here that Words by a Pro has at least two ardent advocates of the serial comma on board. I happen to be among them, along with our account editor Maarit Miller. She’s so into it that she includes it in her byline. That’s commitment. Though my loyalty will always lie with the Oxford comma crowd, my job often requires that I “swing both ways,” so to speak.

Those of us who are mad for the Oxford comma find it physically painful to read copy that omits it. It hurts us deep in our order-loving souls to skip the serial comma. Why? Because it helps with clarity, keeps things orderly, conveys parallel emphasis amongst the items in a series, and satisfies our need for obsessive-compulsive symmetry. (Beautiful, ain’t it?)

However, we writers must do what is required for the sake of style. It’s one of those on-the-job hazards they don’t mention when you respond to a writing position want ad. But who, we ask, will be there for us when forgoing the serial comma causes us excessive stress that takes years off our lives? There must be a class action suit in this.

Maarit, let’s get on that!

Oxford Objectors

Most journalists are Oxford objectors: they don’t use the serial comma because the AP Stylebook – the journalist’s bible – says it gets the kibosh. Since AP Style is the dominant methodology for journalistic writing, you won’t see serial commas in most news sources.

The official rule from the AP Stylebook reads like this: “In a simple series, AP doesn’t use a comma before the last item. For a series of complex terms, though, use commas after each for clarity.”

Whatever, AP Stylebook!

An Ongoing Debate

The Onion, America’s most trusted satirical news source, even poked fun at the ongoing debate over the serial comma with a 2013 story titled “4 Copy Editors Killed in Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence.” It’s funny, but the uninitiated may be surprised by the degree of contention surrounding this issue. Yes, some people really care about how we separate items in a series! But you know what? This is precisely the kind of obsessive-compulsive crap that makes us good writers and editors!

So what’s your take, readers? Are you a serial comma devotee or detractor? Let us know in the comments!

Kathryn Cunningham is a professional writer and social media maven. Dividing her time between her home in midtown Manhattan and many homes on the road, she enjoys supporting the arts in small communities and advocating for rescue dogs.