"The Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma) is that extra comma that you sometimes get at the end of a list, before the and or the or. “She wrote novels, essays, and JavaScript” uses an Oxford comma. “He bought apples, butter and the ranch” doesn't."Despite that I still would use it. I'd probably rewrite that sentence to make it clearer: "She lives with her two children and two pets, a cat and a dog." You could even argue for some brackets around the animals [via].
The Oxford moniker derives from the century-old endorsement of the serial comma by the Oxford University Press manual of style; and the OUP is backed up by a slew of revered authorities: Strunk's Elements of Style, Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage and the Chicago Manual of Style. Why? Because omitting the Oxford comma can result in distressing double meanings:
“She lives with her two children, a cat and a dog.”
The Oxford Comma.
Grammar Last time I attempted to use what I now find is called the "Oxford comma" was at school. I was told it was wrong, I'd love marks, and I haven't used it again. There are some circumstances when it could be quite useful:
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