

The sentence in question discussed overtime for drivers.

about whether or not they qualified for overtime. In that lawsuit, the dairy drivers sued Oakhurst Dairy and Dairy Farmers of America Inc. Some years back, a lawsuit was filed by a group of Maine dairy drivers. If you think analyzing a punctuation point is overrated, it’s worth paying attention to the potential legalities of a misplaced comma.

Add the Oxford comma, and it can no longer be misconstrued: “Her heroes are her parents, John Legend, and Adele.” The serial comma even inspired a lawsuit. While whether you use the serial comma or not is usually dictated by your style guide preference or in-house guidelines, you should use it when clarity is an issue.įor example: “Her heroes are her parents, John Legend and Adele.” Without the Oxford comma, the sentence implies that John Legend and Adele are this person’s parents. Whether you love or hate the Oxford Comma, you should read more #contentmarketing” When should you use the Oxford comma? [bctt tweet=”A lawsuit in Maine once hinged on the absence of an extra comma. The irony being the sentence could be understood in multiple ways. The title of the book referenced a joke about the way a panda’s diet is comprised of shoots and leaves. In the book “ Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” by former editor Lynn Truss, people first got an idea of the implications of an extra or missing comma. For example, “The new hire is a writer, editor, and content marketer.” The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma or series comma, is used in lists of three or more items before the coordinating conjunction.

Depending on the style guide you use, you’ll notice different rules about the Oxford comma, so named because editors preferred it at the Oxford University Press. Professional writers, content creators, and grammar nerds have surprisingly heated arguments about the Oxford comma, aka the serial comma.
