Defending serial commas.

[conuly]

http://www.languagehat.com/archives/001365.php

I memorized that rule in the first grade, and it has always served me well. Why people now want to create needless confusion, I do NOT know.

Comments

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

"On consoles, that means titans like Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Mario and Zelda, and relative newcomers like Grand Theft Auto and Halo."

This is a confusion sentence to me because of the two 'and's being so close to each other (along with the fact that it's out of context too, so I had to read the NY Times article). Anyway I definately agree.

Unfortunately, I had to read the Wikipedia article on what a serial comma was. Even though I do use them whenever I use series, I didn't know what that comma was called. I learned grammar rules on a funky number system instead of by name, so I identify a series like the one at the start of this comment as a "number 2". Other examples are like an appositive phrase is called a "number 1".

I don't know why I'm rambling about this though. I guess in short I can accept people's grammar mistakes if they had to go through all sorts of strange ways to learn it like I did.

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

Edit: "This is a confusing sentence..."

I need to stop changing my thoughts mid-sentence, so pardon that, please.

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

You call commas in lists number twos? Oh, man, I so have to call them that in my next English essay.

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

No it's the serial phrase that is called a "number 2". The crazy system goes all the way to number 9. Don't ask me, a crazy English teach made it up!

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

Oh, I get it...but hah, number twos...

*crickets chirp in background*

Does "number two" in America actually mean anything?

[masterflare421.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I understood what you are thinking of as a euphemism for "number two".

No worries, I got the joke and can see how it would be interpreted that way. Too bad the only examples I could think of were the "number one" and "number two". ;)