Not sure if this is the correct thread…
But my Princeton Review 2017 SAT book gave one example where the correct choice was WITHOUT the comma before the “and” ex. “a, b and c”
and my Princeton Review 2016 ACT had the comma. ex “a, b, and c”
Both had three items on a list
For three single word items it should be a, b and c. The Oxford Comma isn’t needed unless the items are longer and it would be unclear without the comma.
Most likely just an error (unless my English teaching has been completely wrong up to this point…)
The Oxford comma (the comma before the last item in a list) is one of only a few grammatical controversies – some people say it’s absolutely unnecessary, some that it should be required. Were the questions specifically asking about that comma (ie did they have two identical options, one with and one without it?) I’ve seen the Oxford comma used in correct answers on the SAT, but I’ve never seen a question asking about it specifically. In general, you can assume either is grammatically correct.
Even if each item on the list was a single word, the SAT review is wrong, because it is never wrong to include the comma even though it may be permissible to omit it.
Both are grammatically correct.
The Oxford comma (aka the serial comma) sometimes helps to clarify between items in a list and descriptive adjectives. There are tons of examples online, but this is a classic:
Who’s coming to the party? I invited the male strippers, Nixon, and Stalin.
vs.
Who’s coming to the party? I invited the male strippers, Nixon and Stalin.
In the first example, Nixon and Stalin – along with some male strippers – have been invited to the party; in the second example, Nixon and Stalin ARE the male strippers that were invited to the party.
Without naming any names, I especially liked a new Oxford comma meme I saw that visually shows the difference between
“…a president, a racist, and a misogynist.”
vs.
“…a president, a racist and a misogynist.”
I’ll let y’all guess the context.
@LoveTheBard Hilarious examples! Who knew grammar could be so fun?!
The Oxford comma is not tested on the ACT.
@coffee-and-cramming has it. The Oxford comma is not tested on the ACT. It’s also not tested on the SAT. No need to worry about it, @wannagotoivy
Thanks guys! Learned something new from all of you! ;))