{"id":4005,"date":"2020-11-18T11:50:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/?p=4005"},"modified":"2021-04-07T16:53:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T23:53:32","slug":"what-is-an-oxford-comma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/what-is-an-oxford-comma\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is an Oxford Comma (or Serial Comma) Anyway?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Click below to listen to a recording of this passage.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Much like the em dash, the Oxford (or serial) comma is one of the most <\/span>contested<\/span><\/a> punctuation marks within the grammar world. Every year, you can find articles <\/span>arguing for<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>against<\/span><\/a> one of the most basic comma rules in English.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people love it. Some people hate it. And many average, everyday writers don\u2019t even know what it is. But does a comma before and, or, <\/span>or<\/span><\/i> but even matter? And is it important for you to know as an ESL student?<\/span><\/p>\n

A group of dairy delivery drivers in Maine would argue that it does! They received a $5 million dollar court settlement because a document left out an oxford comma in what we now know as the <\/span>oxford comma court case<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not saying you\u2019ll get a million dollars because of the information in this article, but who knows? Either way, for our ESL students, we will answer the question: what is the Oxford comma and why is it so important?<\/span> And we\u2019ll show you how and when to use it.<\/span><\/p>\n