What did everyone get for Christmas?

[Lucky Star]

I got the ADD thing

So did I. It took about 3 or 4 seconds but the penny dropped.

[Moonraker]

The so-called Oxford comma (sounds British, doesn't it?) is far more common in America now than Britain (it's called the Harvard comma there, and still very common). (For those who don't know, this is the last comma in a phrase like "apples, oranges, and lemons".)

I have never seen a comma used in this way in normal usage, and I was taught in the 1950s that this was wrong - that a comma should never be used after the penultimate item/word (the word before 'and') in a list.
It is known as the Oxford comma because it was traditionally used by printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press. Not all writers and publishers use it, but it can clarify the meaning of a sentence when the items in a list are not single words:
These items are available in black and white, red and yellow, and blue and green.

[poddys]

Drat sorry - I should have clarified the ADD bit...
Yes it's Attention Deficit Disorder.

[70s-child]

(For those who don't know, this is the last comma in a phrase like "apples, oranges, and lemons".)

I have never seen a comma used in this way in normal usage

Michael is right in that it is used all the time in American English. However, my understanding has been that the last comma was always absent in British English, so I was surprised when Michael said that this was only recently adopted.

[poddys]

(For those who don't know, this is the last comma in a phrase like "apples, oranges, and lemons".)

I have never seen a comma used in this way in normal usage

Michael is right in that it is used all the time in American English. However, my understanding has been that the last comma was always absent in British English, so I was surprised when Michael said that this was only recently adopted.

I remember when I was taught grammar in school that we were told the last comma should not be used (no comma before the "and" in other words). It's far too long ago to remember all the grammar that I learned, but do remember that.

I also remember that the first line of a paragraph ought to be indented, but I don't do that any more, just one of the changes I have adopted as the years have rolled on.

[70s-child]

It's funny, but this is one of the areas where U.K. and U.S. practice most strongly and consistently differ: the U.S. generally sticks to traditional styles of punctuation

Actually, even in the US, abbreviations don't always include the punctuation. So for instance, it is generally the U.S. (which I never use!), but it is also generally Washington, DC (no punctuation in DC). I think the ADD part would have registered immediately, if all the other words had been lowercase. Since everything was uppercase, I initially thought ADD was add.

[Spitfire]

I got the ADD thing too, but it took me a few moments. What struck me as more 'wrong' was the 'Oh look a duck!' For a moment my mind was going 'look a duck, lookaduck, lovaduck?' - oh wait, no, it's 'Oh look, a duck!', with a missing comma!

I have never seen a comma used in this way in normal usage, and I was taught in the 1950s that this was wrong - that a comma should never be used after the penultimate item/word (the word before 'and') in a list.

I was taught this too - in the much less particular 1990s. Never knew it was called an Oxford comma, though! More learning on the forum!

[maritaskeeta]

For Christmas I got the 2 black and white Famous Five serials which I had ordered from England after reading the reviews in the forums. Glad I did, I am enjoying them. Pity my son won't watch them with me He is just too sophisticated for the Famous Five, or thinks he is

I also got the new DVD box set of the Famous Five series from the 1970's which was released here in Australia Dec 8.

Plus some Famous Five audio books on CD and the Famous Five short story collection which I have never had before.

Oh, and the Enid Blyton Adventure Series on Dvd, The Old Curiosity Shop starring Peter Ustinov, The Secret of Nimh,

Also some little Smurfs and some adult stuff as well like Being Erica and Gotye.

[Lucky Star]

Sounds like Santa was a busy boy Maritaskeeta. Glad you're enjoying everything. I would'nt mind a haul like that.

[nina]

I actually got the best late christmas present ever today.. a signed edition of the fifth holiday book and a signed original ethel everett drawing used in 'silver and gold' so happy, literally the best gifts ive ever recieved!

[Moonraker]

My dear wife, Jane, got cryptosporidium.

[Katharine]

My dear wife, Jane, got cryptosporidium.

Yuk, hope she's feeling better now.

[Moonraker]

A little, thanks, but it's been a long haul.

[MJE]

However, my understanding has been that the last comma was always absent in British English, so I was surprised when Michael said that this was only recently adopted.

     Well, it was my understanding, probably back in school (which probably where most of my views about such things were formed), that it was one of those things you could do or not, but I believe it was done by at least some, and then it seemed to fall away over the years since. I might have been a bit careless myself at one point, and may have done it sometimes and sometimes not - just as I get a bit of a shock now when I look at handwritten letters of mine from the 1970s and 1980s and see that my use or non-use of some punctuation is a bit uneven.
     I think it was really learning to type in the 1980s that forced me to pay more attention to such things, as you have to consciously type a key or not, and it appears (I say "appears" because I don't quite recall the thought processes I went through at the time) that I decided to overhaul some practices I had become somewhat uneven in (very easy to do in handwriting, it seems), and apparently, amongst a whole lot of things, I decided to use the Oxford comma (advocated by many "how-to-write" books as being usually clearer) and I decided to use full punctuation (again, because it seemed clearer, overall). I had also formed the opinion that, of all the changes that had crept in, often used by people not all that careful in their writing anyway, most were inferior to what had been before, so I tended to reject most of them. In general, I adhere to the view that, overall, writing standards - often even amongst well-educated people - are not as good as they were when I was at school and my general habits formed.
     Another thing, too, is the gradually increasing preference for single quote marks. I still prefer the older double ones, and find them clearer, especially when apostrophes are also nearby.

I remember when I was taught grammar in school that we were told the last comma should not be used (no comma before the "and" in other words).

     To tell the truth, I don't remember what I was told on that - and lots of other things too. But I assume that the stories I wrote at the time (which I still have) reflect what I was taught, so if they do something a particular way, then that must be what I was taught. I don't recall whether those stories use the Oxford comma (more properly called a serial comma, actually) or not. If they don't, well remember that (as said above) I did go through a slightly sloppy period, then overhauled my habits. That overhaul has stuck ever since, but may not in all respects follow exactly what I was taught, although I think it would mostly do so.

It's far too long ago to remember all the grammar that I learned, but do remember that.

     I find it odd, actually, that some people have no memory at all of being taught the serial comma. I don't always know posters' ages, so a lot may depend on when they were at school. For me, it was the 1960s.

I also remember that the first line of a paragraph ought to be indented, but I don't do that any more, just one of the changes I have adopted as the years have rolled on.

     Just wondering why you've adopted that. Again, I find it less clear (in some situations) and just generally less attractive.
     What really annoys me is that many web sites and programs make it really difficult to indent the first line of a paragraph, and I feel it is wrong for software designers to try to make people work a certain way. It should be their job to provide software that will do what users want, not to try to proactively induce them into certain habits.

Regards, Michael.

[MJE]

... I was taught in the 1950s that this was wrong - that a comma should never be used after the penultimate item/word (the word before 'and') in a list.

     When it is not used, it always seems (to my eye) to connect the last two items more closely to each other than the other items in the list.

Regards, Michael.