If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we’re huge fans of the Oxford comma. As we often like to say, “You can have my Oxford comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, and lifeless hands.”
Whoever said this must be feeling pretty good about himself right now – and we are, too.
What’s going on?
You see, the Oxford comma isn’t just a punctuation mark that academics, writers, and grammar trolls argue about. It’s not just something that gets you hundreds – thousands – of likes or shares on social media.
It’s got its place in the real world.
Don’t believe me?
Ask some dairy drivers in Maine who just got awarded some (I assume) pretty good compensation, thanks to the Oxford comma.
As the story goes, the drivers were looking for overtime pay. However, the labor law explicitly states some activities that don’t qualify for overtime pay. Included in this list is distribution (driving).
Luckily for the drivers who sued their company, the person who wrote the law either slipped up or doesn’t believe in the power of the all-mighty Oxford comma.
The section in question:
The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:
- Agricultural produce;
- Meat and fish product; and
- Perishable foods
Spot the error.
Because of that teeny weeny bit of punctuation, the court ruled in favor of the drivers. In spite of the law, the missing comma made it so that driving to deliver the goods mentioned qualifies for overtime pay. I’m sure companies are now poring over legal documents to make sure there is no missing comma that can cost them money.
While the mistake is found in a government document, I’m sure companies are now poring over legal documents to make sure there is no missing comma that can cost them money.
So, where’s the mistake? You tell me, and why don’t we discuss this ruling in the comments?
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