Grammar

Serial comma done in by serial killer?

I’ve become a fan of the serial comma. I confess, I didn’t use to be, probably for the very same reason most people don’t use it. It’s an extra step, it clutters up the page, and it’s not necessary… Or so I thought.

In my day job, I work to a very strict style guide. One that I’ve been working very hard at memorizing. (The fun part is remembering when I edit romance novels that they don’t need to follow some of the more technical rules. ) But in this very strict style guide, the serial comma is mandatory. And, after subscribing to a very popular Canadian women’s magazine, I’m beginning to see the usefulness of the serial comma.

Take this headline:

Meet the new Mrs. Trudeau
On marriage, Margaret and her first year with Justin

Now, the article discusses Sophie Trudeau’s new marriage to Justin and her relationship with her new mother-in-law, Margaret Trudeau. But, if you read the headline, it implies that the new Mrs Trudeau talks about Margaret’s first year with Justin, not her own.

Look at it with the serial comma:

On marriage, Margaret, and her first year with Justin

Ahh, now we’re getting somewhere. That extra comma not only lets us know that it’s Sophie’s year with Justin, not Margaret, it also keeps us from thinking that the ‘her’ in the headline refers to Sophie, not Margaret (which, technically, it still kinda does, since pronouns are supposed to refer to the most recent noun… )

But, I gave this magazine the benefit of the doubt that the comma got dropped somewhere, until I got the next month’s issue. In this issue, we have the headline:

Diana Krall
On marriage, music and becoming a mom

(hmmm. they’re not very creative with their headlines, are they?) But again, our serial comma is missing. Now, in this instance, there isn’t as much confusion as the first one, but it still looks unfinished to me.

So, it seems to me, that one tiny little comma may take up a teeny bit of space in your sentence, but it makes all the world of difference in avoiding confusion.