Andertoons by Mark Anderson for April 17, 2024

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It’s wasteful, useless, and redundant!

I love a good Oxford comma!

The next 3 exits? That would be Exit 1, Exit 2, and Exit 3.

eats shoots and leaves

Oxford Comma – In English-language punctuation, the Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually “and” or “or”) in a list of three or more terms. It is used to avoid ambiguity in specific contexts.

So, I understand the oxford comma – but how is this supposed to be funny?

Commas do make a difference. See “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” a book by Lynne Truss.

“Eats, Shoots, and Leaves” implies a Panda with a gun.

So is it “exit 1, exit 2, and exit 3” or “exit 1, exit 2 and exit 3?”

Perhaps Vampire Weekend put the grammatical brouhaha regarding ye olde Oxford Comma in the most succinct terms ever. (available for viewing on an encyclopedic streaming service near you)