Here at Vox Clamantis Books, we are big fans of the Oxford comma. Not just because we used to live in Oxford, but also because it makes more sense in most situations.
The Oxford comma is a comma before the final “and” in a list, e.g. “I like toast, eggs, and orange juice for breakfast.” The argument is that if the comma wasn’t there, it would sound like the eggs and orange juice were mixed together (eww).
People who don’t use the Oxford comma argue that the commas in a list are a replacement for “and”, so you don’t need the comma before the final “and” in the list.
Scribblr has an excellent guide to using the Oxford comma, and a list of examples where it makes sense and where it actually makes the sentence less clear. They also list which publishers’ style guides recommend its use, and which do not. The article also points out that a comma preceding an ampersand is incorrect (which tends to support the view that a comma is a replacement for “and”).
If you want to sound completely breathless in a sentence, try using “and” for an entire list: “I like toast and tea and eggs and bacon and orange juice and…” This can provide comic effect, but you wouldn’t want to overuse it.
Other punctuation
Quote marks
American and British practice also differs over the use of quote marks.
In reported speech, both versions of English put the punctuation inside the quote marks, for example: “I like toast, eggs, and orange juice for breakfast,” she said.
When putting something in quotes in a paragraph (when it isn’t reported speech), British English would not add a comma inside the quote marks, but outside them (whereas American English puts the comma inside the quote marks). British English also uses single quotes in this context (although double quotes are acceptable). Scribblr has an excellent guide to using quote marks.
Colons and semicolons
Although these two types of punctuation look similar, they have a very different function. The colon precedes a list; the semi-colon separates two parts of a sentence without the need for a conjunction.
Consider using it, or a full stop / period when you have written a run-on sentence (which is grammatically incorrect).
The em-dash and the en-dash
The em-dash has suddenly become controversial as apparently AI-generated text overuses it. I am a big fan of using dashes in a sentence when they’re used sparingly for effect.
American and British English use dashes differently. In American English, the em-dash is used with no spaces to add a qualifying statement at the end of a sentence, or in the middle of it. In British English, the en-dash is used with spaces to do the same, or as a replacement for “to” (e.g. “the Dover–Calais crossing”).
It’s confusing!
Because of these subtle differences in usage, and the fact that it is hard to be sure what is the preferred usage – because of the way English has become a global language – there’s nothing wrong with using a grammar-checker.
We recommend Harper: the only grammar-checker that does not use AI. It also has Canadian English as well as US and UK English.
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