逗號(comma)的五個主要用法習慣(#6 extra)
關於「Oxford Comma」
我在解釋用法習慣 #3 時解釋到,我們一般會用逗號去分隔同一句子中文法上平衡的各項元素:
例:I like apples, oranges, and bananas.
例:I like to dance, (to) sing, and (to) act.
以上例句,我都在最後兩個平衡元素的連接詞「and」前面加入了逗號。
通訊寄出後不久,一位訂閱的朋友主動聯絡,說她女兒的英文教科書也有這逗號的使用範例,但卻沒有在連接最後元素的「and」前加入逗號。
還記得我在本系列的開始已說過,標點符號是人發明出來的,作用是使書面的句子結構更清晰?
使用標點並非真正自然文法的一部份,而是有關寫作風格 。也因此,即使的確是有標點符號的用法習慣,但每個人的使用方式仍會存在差異。
不在這個「and」之前加入逗號並非「錯誤」,事實上,它更有一個特定的名稱 -- 「Oxford Comma」,對寫作風格感興趣的人們甚至為此爭論不休。
某些出版業者喜歡使用「Oxford Comma」作為他們文字風格的一種;同時,另一些人或刊物會刻意避免它;有些人則視乎情況而選擇是否使用。
個人而言,我有使用這個逗號的習慣,因為它可以令不同的平衡元素的「分界」更加清晰。
例如:
The cars are red, blue and green.
The cars are red, blue, and green.
假如不加入最後的那個逗號,讀者有可能會解讀成「red」與「blue and green」是兩組,即有兩輛車,一輛車是紅色,另一輛是藍綠色。如果我想表達的是那裡有三輛車,而三輛分別是「red」、「blue」及「green」,那麼在「and」前加入逗號便必定不會被誤解。
不過大多數情況下(包括這例子的情況),句子本身的含義在語境中都是很明確的。若只為書寫更清晰,這種逗號其實也不是在所有句子的情況都有需要。
不過大多數情況下(包括這例子的情況),句子本身的含義在語境中都是很明確的。若只為書寫更清晰,這種逗號其實也不是在所有句子的情況都有需要。只要明白其功能,你可以自行選擇是否使用它。
(美國一家乳製品公司的工人,就曾因爲合約中缺少了一個「Oxford Comma」而贏得訴訟。有興趣可參閱此文:https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-few-words-about-that-ten-million-dollar-serial-comma)
小練習
最近,我與家人一起參觀西澳大利亞博物館,並拍了這張照片。
這段文字沒有用到「Oxford Comma」,不過因為意思已經很清楚,省略它們是沒問題的。
然而作為練習,你知道應該把「Oxford Comma」放在哪個位置嗎?
“Western Australia is vast, ancient and incredibly diverse. The plants and animals that make their home in its deserts, forests, woodlands, wetlands, seas and cities help define this amazing place.”
____________________
(English version)
About the “Oxford Comma”
In #3 of this “comma series,” I explained that we usually use commas to separate grammatically parallel elements in a sentence:
e.g. I like apples, oranges, and bananas.
e.g. I like to dance, (to) sing, and (to) act.
In these example sentences, I included a comma before the conjunction “and” between the last two parallel elements.
After the newsletter was sent out, a subscriber pointed out to me that her daughter’s English textbook also has examples of this comma use, but there are no commas in front of the “and.”
Now, recall that punctuation is a man-made thing that helps to make the structure of sentences clearer in writing. Punctuation use is not about actual grammar but rather writing style -- so there are variations in how people use the comma even though there are certain overall usage conventions.
As such, it is not “wrong” to leave out this comma before the “and.”
In fact, the comma in this position has a special name -- the “Oxford comma” -- and it is a constant matter of debate among people who are interested in writing style. Some people and publications always use it as part of their style, and other people and publications always avoid it. Some people use it sometimes and not other times.
Personally, I have a habit of using the “Oxford comma” because it makes the “grouping” of the different parallel items in a list absolutely clear.
For example:
The cars are red, blue and green.
The cars are red, blue, and green.
If we don’t use that final comma, there is the possibility of reading the items in the list as “red” and “blue and green” as one group -- as in, there are two cars. One car is red and the other is blue and green. So, if the meaning is there are three cars, and each of them is one of the colors, then using this final comma would make it absolutely clear.
But even so, the meaning would be clear in most contexts anyway, so this comma doesn’t really serve a very important role in making the writing clearer. It is up to you whether you want to use it or not as part of your style, as long as you understand its function.
(If you are interested, here is an article about how some workers at a dairy company in the U.S. won a case against their employer because of the lack of an Oxford comma in their contract: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-few-words-about-that-ten-million-dollar-serial-comma)
Mini Exercise
I took this photo from the Museum of Western Australia during my recent visit with my family. There are no “Oxford commas” in this paragraph, but the meaning is very clear even without it, so it is totally fine to leave them out.
Just as an exercise, however, can you figure out where we would put the “Oxford commas” back in?
“Western Australia is vast, ancient and incredibly diverse. The plants and animals that make their home in its deserts, forests, woodlands, wetlands, seas and cities help define this amazing place.”
Comments
Post a Comment