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only
To avoid misinterpreting the meaning, position "only" directly next to the word(s) it modifies. For example:
She eats pizza only on Fridays — indicates pizza is not consumed on other days. She may consume other foods or do other activities but pizza is reserved exclusively for Fridays.
She only eats pizza on Fridays — implies she performs no other activities during Fridays. She does nothing else on Fridays but eat pizza.
She eats only pizza on Fridays — suggests pizza is the single food she eats on Fridays. She may eat pizza on other days but on Fridays, she consumes no other food.
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Oxford Comma
For clarity and consistency, our style guide recommends avoiding the Oxford comma in lists. This means that when listing three or more items, do not place a comma before "and", "but" or "or" at the end. For example:
Correct: "We offer shirts, shoes and hats".
Incorrect: "We offer shirts, shoes, and hats".
This helps streamline content and keeps our writing more concise and simple. To avoid any ambiguity, we suggest: reordering items in a list; reversing the main and subordinate clauses; or making use of semicolons [
;] as a last resort and only when there is certain ambiguity.The Oxford Comma is a made up rule by the Oxford University Press and its usage subjective to the writer. The lack of an Oxford Comma is not a grammatical error. It is a rule or guideline by the Oxford University Press dictating how language should be used, emphasising correctness and adherence to a specific standard rather than how language is actually used.