“Who gives a f*** about an Oxford Comma?”
– Vampire Weekend

I do, and so should you – and so should Vampire Weekend, for that matter!

As a Journalism major and overall grammar nerd, I had the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook drilled into my head throughout college. In fact, I went directly from my graduation ceremony to two weeks of grammar boot camp at Penn State University, followed by a copy-editing internship at a Dow Jones newspaper in rural Pennsylvania. All that is to say, I have deep respect for AP Style. However, there’s one rule that never made sense to me – its rejection of the Oxford Comma.

For those who live far more interesting lives than mine, the Oxford Comma is the final comma in a series before the conjunction. For example, “People who do not use the Oxford Comma are mistaken, incorrect, and wrong.” According to AP Style, that final comma should be deleted, which would make that sentence look like this – “People who do not use the Oxford Comma are mistaken, incorrect and wrong.” Pretty insignificant, right? Wrong.

The issue here is threefold: clarity, accessibility, and adaptability. Without those three things, you cannot have effective communication – and eliminating the Oxford Comma negatively impacts them all.

Communication Should Not Cause Miscommunication

The goal of communication is to get a message to someone in the clearest and most efficient way possible. Using the Oxford Comma clearly communicates that what you are writing is a list of three or more things. So why would you take that out and muddy the message? Check TikTok, Instagram, or the Site Formerly Known as Twitter, and you’ll find plenty of examples of situations where a missing Oxford Comma led to some… interesting interpretations.

Take the video above, for example. When you write, “I thanked my parents, Batman, and Superman,” you are saying that you thanked all three entities. Take out the final comma, though, and “I thanked my parents, Batman and Superman” means that you thanked your parents, who are Batman and Superman. While that would be very cool for you, I strongly doubt it’s true.

By simply hitting one more key on our keyboards or, god forbid, making one extra stroke with our pens, we can ensure that we get our point across more accurately.

Not Everyone Is a Grammar Nerd

Accessibility was another pillar of my Journalism education. At the time, we were taught to write at a 6th-grade level because data showed that the vast majority of Americans had completed at least that much schooling, after which the numbers began to fall off. I remember it seeming a bit elitist at the time, but I’ve come to understand that the real goal was to ensure that everyone in the country had access to the same information in a way they could easily grasp.

We should be applying that same principle to grammar. It’s not an easy thing to master, and we shouldn’t force an expectation of grammatical knowledge onto many people who simply don’t have or want it. Currently, AP Style says to avoid the Oxford Comma in most circumstances but to use it “if omitting it could make the meaning unclear.” I would argue that almost all sentences would be much clearer if we mandated the Oxford Comma across the board – plus it makes the whole process of reading and writing easier and more accessible for all.

Rules Were Made to Be Broken

The AP Stylebook is constantly evolving, as it must. A new edition is released each year with various changes that bring it more in line with modern times. This adaptability is essential to ensuring clear communication as the years go by. However, they are still holding fast to their rules on the Oxford Comma. So, how do we fix the issue? The answer is easy – just ignore them!

As I entered the workforce, I quickly realized that most publications and communication companies have their own style guides, usually with AP Style as a base. They then make small tweaks that bring it more in line with their business – and so far, every single one I’ve seen has mandated use of the Oxford Comma.

Jaybird Communications is one of those businesses. We are fully onboard with the Oxford Comma, have embraced it in our own house style, and are happy to debate its merits with anyone who shares our nerdy predilections. AP Style is a great place to start when it comes to writing, but sometimes change comes a bit too slowly. That’s why we learn the rules – so we know when and how to break them.