تعريف ومعنى "serial comma"

What is a "serial comma"?

A serial comma, also known as the Oxford comma, is a punctuation mark used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items. For example, in the sentence "I would like to have eggs, toast, and orange juice," the serial comma appears before the word "and." Its primary purpose is to reduce ambiguity and clarify the separation between items in a list. Some style guides advocate for the use of the serial comma, while others do not, leading to differences in writing style. Using the serial comma can help prevent misinterpretation, such as in the sentence "I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Humpty Dumpty," which suggests three separate entities, whereas omitting it could imply that Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty are the speaker's parents.