Do Lawyers use the Oxford comma?

Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate. Whether one noun phrase modifies the others when there are two or more noun phrases next to each other in a list.

Why you shouldn't use the Oxford comma?

Why don't they use it? Many opponents of the Oxford comma claim that it makes a piece of writing sound more pretentious and stuffy, and that it can make things seem cluttered and redundant. Many magazine publishers renounce its use as well, because sentences loaded with commas take up valuable page space.

Is the Oxford comma unprofessional?

While the Oxford comma is technically grammatically correct, it is most often unnecessary and pointless. Thus, writers and editors should eliminate the comma unless it is absolutely essential for comprehension.

How are commas used in legal writing?

"In legal writing, place a comma at the end of each item listed, including the item listed immediately before the and." Mary Barnard Ray & Jill J. Ramsfield, Legal Writing: Getting It Right and Getting It Written 86 (4th ed., West Group 2005).

Is the Oxford comma controversial?

This practice is controversial and is known as the serial comma or Oxford comma, because it is part of the house style of Oxford University Press." There are cases in which the use of the serial comma can avoid ambiguity and also instances in which its use can introduce ambiguity.

Is the Oxford Comma Controversial? Not for Lawyers

Is the Oxford comma obsolete?

An Oxford, or serial, comma is the last comma in a list; it goes before the word "and." Technically, it's grammatically optional in American English. However, depending on the list you are writing out, omitting it can lead to some confusion.

Who uses Oxford comma?

In a sentence with a list of three or more items, the Oxford comma is the comma you place right before the coordinating conjunction and last item in the list. It is also known as a serial comma, a series comma, or a Harvard comma. The Oxford comma is considered optional by American English language grammarians.

Why do lawyers not use punctuation?

The prevailing view in common law jurisdictions was that the meaning of legal documents should be ascertained from the words of the document and their context rather than from punctuation. Accordingly, old-fashioned legal drafting tends to involve little or no punctuation.

Do Lawyers use punctuation?

Punctuation was traditionally omitted in legal documents and this practise is continued by many Will and Trust drafters. Drafters prefer instead to use underlining or spacing to avoid the ordinary use of commas.

Does Bluebook use the Oxford comma?

Oxford commas and ampersands should not be used together. Note that in citations, et al. is preferred unless all of the names are particularly relevant. See Bluebook Rule 15.1(b).

Do legal documents use the Oxford comma?

Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate.

Does UK use Oxford comma?

The Serial/Oxford Comma

The serial comma (also known as the “Oxford comma” in the UK) is a comma placed before the last item in a list of three or more things. Most American English style guides recommend using this comma as standard: I believe in good spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

What does semicolon mean in law?

Generally, semicolons are used to connect two or more related, but independent, clauses in the same sentence. For example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers; pickled peppers that just so happened to be in Queen Grimhilde's pantry.

What is a superfluous comma?

Except after an introductory dependent clause, do not use a comma to separate a dependent clause from a main clause unless the dependent clause provides nonessential information.

Is Oxford comma British or American?

British and American English both use the Oxford comma like this, but they differ on when it is used: Typically, in British English, we only use an Oxford comma when a list would be unclear without one, such as in the example sentence above. In American English, it is often standard to use an Oxford comma in lists.

Why is it called Oxford comma?

The Oxford comma has been attributed to Horace Hart, printer and controller of the Oxford University Press from 1893 to 1915, who wrote Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers in 1905 as a style guide for the employees working at the press. However, at that time, the comma was not called the Oxford comma.

What is the difference between an Oxford comma and a regular comma?

The main difference between Oxford comma and comma is that an Oxford comma refers to a comma that usually comes before the final conjunction of a sentence, while a regular comma is a punctuation mark that depicts the divisions in a particular sentence.

How do you punctuate legal documents?

According to Cuny School of Law, commas must separate independent clauses whenever they are joined together by coordinating conjunctions, such as and, for, but, or, yet and nor. You should also use commas to separate three or more phrases, clauses or words within a sentence (eg:phrases, clauses or words).

Is there a comma after plaintiff?

3) Use a comma to indicate that more information follows. The plaintiff filed his reply brief, which was longer than court rules permitted. The court held for the plaintiff, finding that the defendant's explanation was not credible. 4) Use a comma before a conjunction that introduces a new subject and verb.

What Does a colon mean in law?

In legal writing, colons are typically used to introduce list items. After all, law is a series of elemental lists. Where lawyers often go astray with colons, however, is failing to make the introductory clause a complete independent clause.

Does Australia use the Oxford comma?

In Australia, most style guides recommend leaving out the Oxford comma. However, public service style guides, for example, allow them to be used where confusion could arise or where the items in the list are more complicated than simple one-word names. In other words, a fair amount of judgement is involved.

Does Cambridge use Oxford comma?

In its own text, the guide by Cambridge omits serial commas; Oxford's retains them. So for British English, use serial commas or omit them, but do so consistently. And if you go without, make sure to add a comma wherever its absence might create ambiguity.

Do lawyers put two spaces after a period?

And the same rule applies to all punctuation: one space after a colon, semicolon, or period.

Why is the Oxford comma important?

Sometimes, many people argue, the Oxford comma isn't just a stylistic feature, but an essential one, as the meaning of a sentence can be altered without it. It is therefore important for removing potential ambiguity that can spoil the clarity and elegance of your writing.

Is the Oxford comma used in AP style?

Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don't. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.