The Importance of Correct Punctuation

[reveal]

I stumbled across this today. Classic!

The best famous example of the necessity of the serial comma was in a dedication to a book:

This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

Now there's a kid with an attitude!

 

[JimAde]

I've always been one who said you don't need that last comma (after all you say "Peanut Butter and Jelly" but not "Peanut Butter, and Jelly").

But I think you just made a convert.

 

[der_kluge]

Isn't that technically correct?

If I said:

"I dedicate this book to my friends joe, bob and bill" wouldn't that be the same thing?

I mean, it would be indicating Ayn Rand and God were his parents if he had written something like "I dedicate this book to my parents - Ayn Rand and God"

How should it read?

 

[reveal]

Isn't that technically correct?

If I said:

"I dedicate this book to my friends joe, bob and bill" wouldn't that be the same thing?

I mean, it would be indicating Ayn Rand and God were his parents if he had written something like "I dedicate this book to my parents - Ayn Rand and God"

How should it read?

It should read "I dedicate this book to my parents, Ayn Rand, and God"

By omitting the comma before the "and," it reads that Ayn Rand and God are the writers parents.

 

[reveal]

Isn't that technically correct?

If I said:

"I dedicate this book to my friends joe, bob and bill" wouldn't that be the same thing?

I mean, it would be indicating Ayn Rand and God were his parents if he had written something like "I dedicate this book to my parents - Ayn Rand and God"

How should it read?

Technically, however, it is correct.

From the Gregg Reference Manual, 9th ed:

When three or more items are listed in a series and the last items is preceded by and, or, or nor, place a comma before the conjunction as well as between the other items.

Note: Some writers prefer to omit the comma before and, or , or nor in a series, but the customary practice in business is to retain the comma before the conjunction.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Drow name their children to punish the wrongs of their ancient enemy, the apostrophe.

 

[reveal]

Drow name their children to punish the wrongs of their ancient enemy, the apostrophe.

 

[JimAde]

Technically, however, it is correct.

Exactly. I actually do it this way on the premise that when you have just two items in a list like "ham and eggs" you don't use a comma, so you should omit it in a longer list as well.

But Reveal's example gives me a reason to reconsider. My way is certainly correct, but I'd never want to give the impression that Ayn Rand and God were my parents.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I'd never want to give the impression that Ayn Rand and God were my parents.

Yeah. Talk about being hard to shop for on Christmas .....

 

[Tanager]

Eats, Shoots and Leaves has an interesting chapter about commas that discusses the use of the Oxford comma. IIRC, ultimately, you can go either way as far as punctuating the original quote.