Serial Comma - Arguments For and Against

Arguments For and Against

Common arguments for consistent use of the serial comma:

1. Use of the comma is consistent with conventional practice.
2. It matches the spoken cadence of sentences better.
3. It can resolve ambiguity (see examples below).
4. Its use is consistent with other means of separating items in a list (for example, when semicolons are used to separate items a semicolon is consistently included before the last item even when and or or is present).

Common arguments against consistent use of the serial comma:

1. Use of the comma is inconsistent with conventional practice.
2. The comma may introduce ambiguity (see examples below).
3. It is redundant in a simple list because the and or the or is often meant to serve (by itself) to mark the logical separation between the final two items unless the final two items are not truly separate items but are two parts of a compound single item.
4. Where space is at a premium the comma adds unnecessary bulk to the text.

Many sources are against both systematic use and systematic avoidance of the serial comma, making recommendations in a more nuanced way (see Usage and subsequent sections).