The OXFORD COMMA aka serial comma or Harvard comma is the comma that appears before the last conjunction (and/or) in a list/series.
e.g. She loves cooking, baking, and painting.
The comma just before the 'and' in the sentence is the 'oxford comma'.
What happens if the oxford comma is not used?
e.g. We went on the trip with our dogs, grandma and grandpa.
Does this refer to canine grandparents⁉️
e.g. She is inspired by cooking various dishes, her friends and her pet.
Does she cook her friends and her pet for inspiration⁉️
Style-based differences
AP (Associated Press) style, used by journalists and non-science content writers, does not mandate the oxford comma and is to be used only to avoid ambiguity.
Chicago Manual of style/ APA (American Psychological Association) stylebook/ MLA (Modern Language Association) style guide, used in academic writing, mandate use of oxford comma.
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