Ah, the Oxford comma. It’s the pinnacle of grammar controversy, even though there lies little argument for those opposed to the beloved punctuation mark.

Sure, you can argue that the Oxford comma is technically an optional punctuation mark; however, just because something is optional does not mean it should be regularly omitted or ignored. (You read text inside parentheses, don’t you?)

In written communication, punctuation is essential. What would we do without periods, question marks, and exclamation points? Well, let’s just say we would drown in blocks and blocks of text, yearning for any sign of organizational being to be able to extract a useful thought from a never-ending black hole of words. Punctuation exists to organize and clarify, and the Oxford comma is no exception!

The Oxford comma plays an essential role in the identification of lists and its items within. Items in a list are required to be separated with a comma, with the exception of the last item where the English language only requires a conjunction (usually “and”) to appear before it.

My question for you: why should we trust a conjunction to do the job of a comma? We don’t allow a fork to help us consume our bowl of soup. We don’t use a glue stick to construct the frame of our house. We don’t trust a unqualified, non-educator to lead our Department of Education, do we? Er, sorry, that last one wasn’t a good example. The point is: why do some people choose to let a conjunction identify the last item in a list? That’s the job of a comma.

Aside from personifying punctuation marks into having employment ventures, the Oxford comma really is crucial for clarification. It helps the reader determine exactly how many items there are in a list and clearly defines each list item as a separate entity. Consider the following sentences where one uses the Oxford comma and the other does not:

Greetings and welcome! I’m glad you’re here.

My name is Brandan Oates, and I’m an undergraduate student at Illinois State University studying Business Education. Originally from a small town in northern Illinois, going to a school with 42 times the amount of students than I’m used to has taught me a lot. My first night on campus was a time to try and fathom my new lifestyle, and I’ve definitely come a long way.

Regardless, it has been a fruitful journey – one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. And that’s why you’re reading this right now. I want to share it with you. I want to share my experiences as time passes and as I continue to immerse my millennial self into this ever-changing world. Oxford Dictionaries defines cognizant as “having knowledge or being aware of.” Learning never ends, so being cognizant will be an ongoing process that I’ll always be looking to expand…a “journey” if you will.

Before, I never had a strong enough urge to create and maintain a personal blog, but I think 2017 is different, even though it is already March. (Late is better than never, right? Well, we can discuss that later.)

Let’s see, what else do I need to tell you about this new blog of mine? Oh yes, I anticipate this blog to be a free-flowing canvas of thoughts, and that will be reflected my writing style. Don’t be alarmed if you come across everyday speech. That’s on purpose. My intention is for these posts to be fun to read and to tell a story: a story that excites, inspires, entertains, and makes you ponder. If not, then I have failed as the author. Please never hesitate to post comments. Let’s cultivate some conversation.

Please know that this blog will not follow any timed schedule. Posts will occur as thoughts are created: spontaneously. If anything sparked your interest, consider following on Facebook or here on WordPress. Who knows? It might come in handy for a rainy day. Until next time…strive for cognizance and enjoy your journey.