[Ads-l] Humorous Serial Comma Examples =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=94_?=Are They Genuine or Apocryphal?

[James Landau]

On Tue, Jan 3, 2023 at 3:10 AM Martin Purdy <
00000bd8cf391c5b-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Most cases you see online seem to be concocted, and are all slanted one
> way to produce the desired outcome.  If you want to "prove" the
> serial/Oxford comma removes ambiguity, pick a plural referent; for the
> reverse, pick a singular referent:
>
> The photo shows my parents, the Pope and Mother Teresa(ambiguous)
> The photo shows my parents, the Pope, and Mother Teresa
>
> The photo shows my sister, Mother Teresa, and the Pope (ambiguous)
> The photo shows my sister, Mother Teresa and the Pope
>
> I'm a fence-sitter as far as the serial comma goes for that reason, and
> will try to use whichever form is less ambiguous in anysituation.
>
> Martin (UK/NZ)
>
my favorite example: "heavy luggage, two dogs and my wife"
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22heavy+luggage%2C+two+dogs+and+my+wife%22&sca_esv=183dc6637f0766c0&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1957%2Ccd_max%3A1963&tbm=bks&sxsrf=ADLYWIKGfp64nxScuEgBhNWfezTAyC9bzQ%3A1721062293928&ei=lVOVZvOfOOG05NoPu86x6Ac&ved=0ahUKEwizvqnVwKmHAxVhGlkFHTtnDH0Q4dUDCAk&oq=%22heavy+luggage%2C+two+dogs+and+my+wife%22&gs_lp=Eg1nd3Mtd2l6LWJvb2tzIiUiaGVhdnkgbHVnZ2FnZSwgdHdvIGRvZ3MgYW5kIG15IHdpZmUiSIdHULEOWN0zcAF4AJABAJgBnwGgAeoKqgEEMTYuMbgBDMgBAPgBAZgCAqACpwHCAgQQIRgKmAMAiAYBkgcBMqAHtiA&sclient=gws-wiz-books

This one almost seems plausble that the writer meant that the "heavy luggage" conissted of "two dogs and my wife"

James Landau
jjjrlandau at netscape.com

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