Is it Time to Kill the Oxford Comma?
Punctuation doesn’t usually trigger strong feelings — unless you’re talking to a writer about the Oxford comma. This little punctuation mark, also known as the serial comma, is used before the word “and” when you’re listing three or more items. Here’s an example:
He bought bread, eggs, and milk at the store.
Here’s the same sentence without the comma:
He bought bread, eggs and milk at the store.
Writer-types tend to fall into one of two passionate camps: those that love the Oxford comma and those that despise it. Since there are no hard-and-fast grammar rules governing its usage, the battle rages on.