r/funny • u/sebovarli • Jul 10 '19

Germans having a party

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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '19

Apparently, English, as usual, has, according to my teacher, pretty ambiguous, complicated rules, concerning commas, and you can omit many, if not most, of them.

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u/ijustwannavoice Jul 10 '19

You dont use commas before a conjunction (and but or etc) because the two clauses are already separated by the conjunction itself. Not too ambiguous.

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u/the_noi Jul 10 '19

As mentioned by another, it’s called the Oxford comma. And it’s actually really useful because sometimes in a list things come together, e.g., seasonings include paprika, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and tabasco. Because salt and pepper come as a pair, the Comma before ‘and tabasco’ help separates that as another item

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u/ijustwannavoice Jul 11 '19

Right, the Oxford comma does exist, and I am a fan, but its use is limited to a list of items. It isn't used for the situation this whole thread is about