MMC2121 Grammar Practice Exam

Which option demonstrates an exception to the no-Oxford comma rule in journalism style?

My thanks to my parents, the pope, and Mother Theresa.

We have a red, white and blue flag.

Each item in the series is a complex phrase that closely resembles a detailed and independent clause.

All of the above

In journalism, the serial (Oxford) comma is typically avoided, but there are clear situations where using it helps prevent ambiguity. The first example shows this plainly: thanking three separate recipients — my parents, the pope, and Mother Theresa — is made unmistakable by putting a comma before the final and. Without that comma, a reader might momentarily read the pope and Mother Theresa as part of the parents.

The second example touches another nuance. Lists describing colors can read as a single descriptive phrase, and editors often omit the final comma. However, in contexts where the last item could be misconstrued or where consistency is valued, the serial comma can be used to clarify that there are three distinct colors being described rather than a single combined description.

The third example points to punctuation when items in a series resemble independent clauses. Here, the boundary between items and the main clause can be clearer with a serial comma, reducing the chance that the reader misreads how the items relate to the rest of the sentence.

Taken together, these illustrate different ways the serial comma can be used as an exception to the usual no-Oxford rule in journalism style, so all of the above are legitimate examples.