Quick. Read the sentence below.
“WITH GRATITUDE TO MY PARENTS, MOTHER TERESA AND THE POPE.”
Did you find anything wrong with the sentence construction? If you pressed N, you are a heretic killer, a serial-comma killer.
If you pressed Y, as William Strunk, E B White, and The Chicago Manual of Style suggest you do, welcome to the club of those who believe the sentence in its correct form should have read:
“WITH GRATITUDE TO MY PARENTS, MOTHER TERESA, AND THE POPE.”
That comma after Teresa is called the Oxford comma. For centuries, the English-speaking world has been split between the anally retentive who believe an extra comma should be inserted, and those who can’t spot the difference.
Read the exquisite post on The Laughorist: Let’s Stop Serial- Comma Killing Now
