DEAR RICHARD: The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the comma used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items.  For example: “I like to eat apples, bananas, and oranges.”  I was taught to not place a comma before the word and in the example above. A big issue in the Donald Trump trial in NYC was his preference to use the Oxford or serial comma before the word and. What is the correct rule? –Michael F. Saydah, Scripps Ranch 

Punctuation exists to mirror in writing the cadence of the human voice. We don’t say, “Our flag is red, whiteandblue.” We say “Our flag is red, white, and blue.” That small squiggle in front of and indicates level cadence.

Note the commas in the following sentence: “The serial comma separates words, phrases, or clauses in a series.” A series is a succession of three or more items cast in similar grammatical form.

A series can consist of nouns: “The secret recipe for the super-delicious drink I invented includes vodka, grapefruit juice, raspberries, a splash of rye, and ketchup.” A series can string together a sequence of verbs: “The Frisbee sailed silently through the air, bounced off the kitchen wall, and splashed down in my chicken soup.” A series can be a succession of adjectives: “My yellow, green, and purple rubber ducky is my favorite bath toy.” A series can be made up of clauses: “I came, I saw the uncut grass, and I ran back into the house.”

Note that I have placed serial commas before each occurrence of the conjunction and preceding the last item in each series. Most newspapers and many other publications don’t employ this serial comma, but more formal writing, such as essays, business letters, and literary works (like this highbrow column), retain the serial comma. I recommend the use of the serial comma because I have found that in many sentences the comma before the conjunction is an aid to clarity, emphasis, and meaning.

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DEAR RICHARD: Please explain the difference between “its” and “it’s.” Many people think that “it’s” is universally correct and use it freely — and incorrectly. Thank you for your excellent service as our resident verbivore! –Gail Eager, Fallbrookian since 2000

Because the apostrophe is used to form the possessive form of nouns, many writers use it’s as the possessive form of it, as in “The leopard doesn’t change it’s spots.” But bear in mind that pronouns do not recruit apostrophes to form possessive pronouns, as in hers, hers, mine, ours, and (yep!) “its.” The rule is that “its” is the possessive form of “it is,” while “it’s” is the contraction of “it is.”

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DEAR RICHARD: I often hear people saying, “Let’s try and go to the ballgame.” Isn’t the correct form “Let’s try to go to the ballgame”? -Greg Post, Mount Helix

While “try and do something” is widely used in informal speech, it’s not considered strictly correct in formal English. The more grammatically preferred form is “try to do something.”

The issue with “try and” is that it uses two verbs joined by a conjunction, which represents two different actions. “Try to do something” accurately reflects a single action.

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DEAR RICHARD: My current peeve: Plants grow. People grow. Now we’re being told to “grow your business.” -Carl Ingualson, Pacific Beach

“To grow a business” is correct and common English usage. While some language purists argue that “grow” should apply only to living things, this metaphorical use has become widely accepted in business and everyday language..

I find the use of “grow” in this context, comparing a business to a living organism that can develop and expand, to be planet-friendly. “Grow” reflects a broader trend in business language to use organic metaphors

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DEAR RICHARD: Which is proper, A or B?:

1. There’s a variety of food trucks that come each week.
2. There’s a variety of food trucks that comes each week.

I’m guessing B, but A is more pleasing to my ear. -Dave Bowles, Lakeside

A is a better choice because in sentences like these the noun closer to the verb determines whether that verb is singular or plural. In this instance, “trucks” requires a plural verb. Another example of this rule in action is “A group of girl scouts are selling delicious cookies.”

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DEAR RICHARD: I’d love to hear your thoughts about “these ones.” It hurts my ears. -Tom Schroeder, Encinitas

 “These ones” and “those ones,” as in “I don’t want these ones, but I’ll take those ones,” sounds awkward to some ears, but both are grammatically correct.