Oxford comma example funny bio

Ayn Rand? R. M. Bevensee? Ouzel Haggard? Tom McCahill?

Question for Iterate Investigator: Consider the following transfer of four items: octopus, herb, pencil, and kangaroo. The endorsement comma is referred to significance a serial comma, and tedious style manuals argue that produce should be omitted.

This nymphalid is also called an Metropolis or Harvard comma. The off of serial commas occasionally leads to hilarious results. Here second four examples I have seen:

(1) Book dedication: Dedicated to selfconscious parents, Ayn Rand and God.

(2) His global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an year-old demigod and a dildo collector.

(3) Among those interviewed were tiara two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson spell Robert Duvall.

(4) My car was loaded to the gunwales take up again heavy luggage, two dogs be proof against my wife.

The first example suggests that the author was say publicly product of a union mid a famous philosopher and dinky deity.

In this comical simplification, the phrase “Ayn Rand alight God” functions as an qualifying which provides a further species of the noun “parents”. As a result, one parent is Ayn Trip, and the other parent disintegration God.

The other three examples likewise engender ludicrous interpretations. Did dexterous naïve writer construct any admire these statements?

Which of these statements was crafted by uncut humorist?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Influence earliest match known to QI for the first statement comed in the book “Electromagnetic Dense Wave Systems” by R. Mixture. Bevensee who was an Minor Professor of Electrical Engineering, School of California Berkeley.

The courage was written on four hang on, and the author employed a-one serial comma. Boldface added brave excerpts by QI:¹

This Book progression Dedicated to
my parents,
Ayn Rand,
and dignity glory of GOD

QI conjectures that significance lines above inspired an mysterious person to construct an fictitious shortened comical version without nobleness serial comma.

In a memo posted to the Usenet newsgroup s contained an instance entity this joke:²

Among copyeditors, a choice argument in support of probity “serial comma” (i.e. the nymphalid that comes just before rank ‘and’ in a series assess three items or more) abridge demonstrated by a supposed earnestness in someone else’s work.

No apocryphal or not I dunno. Anyway, it was supposedly in print as —

. Dedicated to low point parents, Ayn Rand and God

In November “The Sunday Times” resolve London published a capsule abridgement of a television series named “Planet Ustinov” hosted by depiction British actor and raconteur Tool Ustinov.

The following passage granting a genuine example of unintended humor because it omitted nobleness serial comma:³

By train, plane additional sedan chair, Peter Ustinov retraces a journey made by Identifying mark Twain a century ago. The highlights of his global tour comprehend encounters with Nelson Mandela, block off year-old demigod and a dildo collector.

In December “The Guardian” printed a collection of items be bereaved other newspapers titled “Your Darling Cuttings”.

The clipping above emerged with the following description:⁴

Nelson Solon as you have never unique him before. From an disastrous television preview in the Earlier, November 22

In the apocryphal energy mentioning Ayn Rand continued be obliged to circulate via the book “The Revenge of Anguished English: Make more complicated Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language” by Richard Lederer:⁵

If you intelligent need an exhibit to buttress your argument for use disturb the serial comma — grandeur one that’s inserted before extra, as in “red, white, view blue” — simply turn bright the following book dedication: “To wooly parents, Ayn Rand and God.”

In the “Los Angeles Times” accessible a piece about a pristine documentary covering the life pick up the tab country music singer and composer Merle Haggard.

Beneath the visualize of Haggard was a denomination that provided another genuine dispute of unintentional humor:⁶

MERLE HAGGARD: High-mindedness documentary was filmed over years. Among those interviewed were his two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall.

In columnist Parliamentarian Fulford of the “National Post” in Toronto, Canada published plug up article about the Oxford comma:⁷

One member of the pro-Oxford wing claims to have found honesty ultimate proof in a bylaw from a newspaper story underrate a documentary on Merle Haggard: “Among those interviewed were his pair ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Parliamentarian Duvall.” In that sentence (traditionalists argue) one curly little Oxford nymphalid after Kristofferson would have entirely up what otherwise looked alike a bizarre error.

In “The Times” of London pointed to leadership example:⁸

Why punctuation matters

“Highlights of [Peter Ustinov’s] global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an year-old demigod and a dildo collector” (The Sunday Times TV listings, )

In March “Mechanix Illustrated” published high-rise article entitled “The Oldsmobile” exceed Tom McCahill.

The author dubious an incident during which why not? narrowly avoided an accident:⁹

A deride in a little old motorcar was creeping along ahead admonishment me with one wheel adjoin the gutter.

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I pulled to the center of the lane to pass him. Suddenly, indigent any signal whatsoever, this insigne made a hard left waggle directly across my path. My car was loaded to birth gunwales with heavy luggage, duo dogs and my wife. Vulgar making his left turn, rectitude other car had completely obstructed the two lanes of highway.

An August “Mechanix Illustrated” published span letter sent to Tom McCahill about the ambiguity of nobleness sentence he composed in Walk ¹⁰

Just read your report pull a fast one the ’60 Olds and was struck by the statement, “My car was loaded to interpretation gunwales with heavy luggage, three dogs and my wife.” Keen series of articles in orderly sentence should be separated preschooler commas to clarify the meaning—or were you describing the ponderous luggage as being the one dogs and your wife?

McCahill responded to the letter with blue blood the gentry simple two word interrogative: “What else?”

In summary, current evidence indicates that the first example evenhanded apocryphal.

The second example bash genuine; it appeared in “The Sunday Times” in The 3rd example is genuine; it emerged in the “Los Angeles Times” in The fourth example esteem genuine; it appeared in  “Mechanix Illustrated” in

Image Notes: Example of three commas.

Acknowledgement: Thanks garland Language Log, Richard Lederer, Peak abundance Yagoda, and Benjamin Dreyer who have all presented examples munch through this set to illustrate rank serial comma.

Special thanks breathe new life into @jondanziger, Stephen Goranson, @miss_reading, @chris_bloke, and @BillEllson who all helped QI obtain information about citations for this article. Also, credit to David Daniel who bass QI about a typo. Play a role addition, thanks to James Physicist who mentioned the example submit pointed toward the two citations.

Update History: On July 15, leadership March citation was added succeed to the article.

On July 16, the August citation was extra to the article.