The day after GalleyCat editor Jason Boog’s blog post went viral announcing that Oxford dropped the Oxford (or serial) comma from its writing and style guide, his clarification, “The Oxford Comma Is Not Dead,” headlined GalleyCat. Apparently, we comma crazies are vast in number, and our passionate cries of outrage flooded cyberspace. According to Linda Holmes, “Twitter went bazoo over the entire Oxford business yesterday before the clarification was made…” (Bazoo! Don’t you just love that word?)
Mr. Boog never suspected that his innocent report would unleash such mayhem. Although an admitted non-serial-comma proponent, he set things aright, bless his heart. It turns out that the University of Oxford Public Affairs Directorate started this uproar, not the University of Oxford Press that sets literary precedent and advocates the “thoughtful use of the Oxford comma.” (Hmmm . . . define “thoughtful.”)
Although still suspicious and jumpy, this comma crazy is sleeping easier, knowing that her beloved serial comma is not (yet) in peril and literary order (for the moment) remains.
P.S. In my Inbox along with my daily GalleyCat missive was a recommendation from Amazon.com for Oxford Modern English Grammar. Coincidence?