So, this is awkward. We don’t really know the details behind the split, but we do know this: The University of Oxford PR department style guide (not to be confused with Oxford University Press, which is responsible for The Oxford Guide to Style) no longer advocates the use of the Oxford comma — a Flavorpill favorite that you might better know as the serial comma. “As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c,'” reads the Dear John letter. “But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used — especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and.'”
Tell us in the comments: Are you Chicago Manual of Style die-hard who is sad to hear that the Oxford comma got dropped yet again? Or do you, like The New York Times and AP Stylebook fans, think it should have been ditched a long time ago? [via GalleyCat]