Resolved: The Oxford comma should be mandatory.

Thank you con for starting with such a great debate.Opening ArgumentThe oxford comma is very useful in most cases. The oxford comma can help seperate ideas in sentences, i.e. I brought the Clowns, Bob, and George. In that example you are clearly saying that you are bringing three seperate entities (Bob, George, and some clowns)While if you exclude the oxford comma you could only be bringing two individuals, i.e. I brought the Clowns, Bob and George. In that sentence you could be bringing only Bob and George and would confuse anyone planning this party. This is just one example of places where the oxford comma is required.While I have proven that the oxford comma is required in some places why wouldn't you include it in all of the sentences where it is possible to put it? This would actually help people who are learning English because it would be one single absolute rule, instead of two shaky rules. OrationThis change would also affect the oration of English (as my opponent pointed out) but not negatively, it would actually help a sentence from going too quickly and would remind the reader to slow down. The Orator could also use the comma as a quick beat to add a little rest in the speech and increase the flow as opposed to increasing the pace. Supporters Of the Oxford CommaThere are also many writing manuals that suggest use of the Oxford Comma including:APA style, The Chicago manual of style, Strunk and White's elements of style, and the U.S. Government Printing Style manual. Those are all well established manuals on the etiquette of linguistics. The Oxford Companion to the English Language says: "Commas are used to separate items in a list or sequence..." Which clearly states that it is needed in my book as it would be used to seperate items. I say this because the penultimate item is still an item in the list. Garner's Modern American Usage also suggests using the comma to avoid ambiguity. Many of the widely accepted experts in the english language suggest the use of the oxford comma.Reasons why you should use itIt is consistent with conventional usage,It matches the spoken cadence better then when you ommit it,It resolves ambiguity,It's use is consistent with othe means of seperating items in a list, And when you ommit it, it suggests a larger connection between the last two items in the listAs you can see the people who use it have much better grammar than those who do not. FactsThe Declaration of independence included the Oxford comma. The Declaration of independence is considered to be a well written document.Shakespeare, a great English author, used the Oxford Comma. People still read an perform his works, coincidence? I think not.RebuttalsC1) I have stated in my prior statements how the grammatically adept use the oxford in a majority to the grammatically adept that omit it.C2)I have made a counter argument aboveC3)I conced that it is not used in those languages, but the removal of the ambiguity would actually help foreign learnersC4)If it is required in some cases then you dhould be consistent and use it in all possible cases, this will make all of the occasions much easier to read and will make more sense.ConclusionThe Oxford comma should be used in most, if not all of the time. The Oxford Comma can help remove ambiguity, and make snetences flow better. Usage of the comma can help foreign learners be less confused. The Oxford Comma is widely accepted as a superior way of Linguistics. The Oxford Comma is requiredThank you con for such a unique debate.Just for Fun s://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com...; alt="" /> Oxford University pressHarvard University press Truss, Lynn (2004). Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham BooksThe Oxford Style Manual, 2002 http://blog.apastyle.org...http://www.mhra.org.uk...http://www.buzzfeed.com...http://fivethirtyeight.com...http://beatcreativemarketing.com...