Rational Jenn has your Round Up number 127. I like that number because it includes 27, my favorite number of all time. 27 is 3 cubed. And all good rationalists know that 3 is the best number of all. Check out these philosophical triads. And don't forget that all good/bad things come in 3's, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, or Leonard Peikoff's Disintegration, Integration and Misintegration.
Have you ever noticed that when I give examples, I almost always give 3?
It's not just me. 3 is a magic number:
Three is a magic number! My favorite group of three is the serial list which must include the wonderful, fabulous, and all-important Oxford comma.
ReplyDeleteI watched this in 4th grade when we were learning to multiply. And to this day I sing that song when I count by threes!
ReplyDeleteLynne,
ReplyDeleteUsually I'm a big fan of the serial comma (although I had to look up "Oxford comma" to be sure what you were talking about). I was taught in school that it was optional, but I decided a long time ago that it was more clarifying in most cases. In this post I debated for about 10 minutes about whether to use it or not! I ended up deciding that there were too many commas already. But now, looking back at it, I hate it. Damn, you caught me.
Colleen,
Did you really watch Schoolhouse Rock in school? Ugh! And is multiplication really not covered until 4th grade? Double Ugh! And do you really remember elementary school well enough to know it was 4th grade? Ugh, I'm old.
It is optional. I didn't even catch that you didn't use it, but now that you've mentioned it, I can't look away! The judicious use of commas is an elusive art. I use them much too often in my writing and I think it's because I like to indicate a natural pause in my speaking in addition to all the other reasons one is supposed to use them. Apparently, I pause, a lot, but not long enough to require an em dash -- most of the time.
ReplyDeleteHa! I thought you were poking fun at me, Lynne. I've been on a mission not to over-comma lately because I tend to use the comma and m-dash too often, too.
ReplyDeleteI never learned grammar properly and I write completely from the instinct I have developed from reading a lot. I'm looking forward to learning grammar with my daughter.