Happy Punctuation Day!
Today is National Punctuation Day. That means it’s pretty much a Holy Day of Obligation here at 7 West. (Bob and I, after all, were both English majors.)
We particularly like the fact that the Punctuation Day folks support the serial comma (the one that goes before the and in a list: “The cookies had pink, blue, and yellow icing.”)
Our belief is that the elimination of the serial comma in the AP Stylebook is just another sign that the apocalypse is near.
Oh no, Kris. I’ve always liked you, but your support for the serial comma makes me question my judgement. The serial comma is unecessary and ugly. Away with it!
By Steve Vaughan on 09.24.09 10:52 am
Not so much. Here’s my favorite example of a sentence that needs a serial comma. (This is from a book dedication.) “To my parents, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.” Means something altogether different when you write, “To my parents, Mother Teresa, and Pope John Paul II.”
By Kris Amundson on 09.24.09 11:31 am
How about “To my parents, to Mother Teresa and to Pope John Paul II?” Much better.
By Steve Vaughan on 09.24.09 3:43 pm
Wow, your journalist daughter could not disagree more with you. While I agree that it is at times necessary (as in your sentence above), many other times it is simply a waste of space. AP Stylebook FTW!
By Sara on 09.28.09 5:20 pm
I am delighted to say that while Ed Sector usually abides by the dictates of the AP Stylebook, we are strongly in favor of the serial comma. I knew I liked these people.
By Kris Amundson on 09.28.09 5:47 pm