All 4 Graded Readings
Oxford comma missing from Brexit coin
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Oxford Comma - Level 0
The UK left the EU yesterday. It voted to leave in 2016. The UK made a new 50-pence coin for the occasion. It has the words: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations" on it. A writer is unhappy. He thinks the punctuation is wrong. He said there should be an Oxford comma after the word "prosperity".
The Oxford comma is called the serial comma in the USA. It is used before the final "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items. People say an Oxford comma is unnecessary on the new coin because the meaning is very clear. A woman who studies words said the Oxford comma can help to better understand the writer's meaning.
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Oxford Comma - Level 1
The U.K. left the European Union on January the 31st. It voted to leave three-and-a-half years ago. The U.K. made a special coin for the occasion. People are arguing about the punctuation on the new 50-pence coin. It has the words: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations" on it. A writer is unhappy. He thinks the punctuation is wrong. He said there should be a comma after the word "prosperity". This kind of comma is called an Oxford comma.
The Oxford comma is called the serial comma in the USA. It is used before the final "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items. People say an Oxford comma is unnecessary on the 50-pence coin because the meaning is very clear. A word expert said the Oxford comma helps to understand the writer's meaning. A woman said the comma wasn't important. She tweeted: "It doesn't matter if there is a comma or not. The most important thing is that there is peace."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Oxford Comma - Level 2
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The United Kingdom left the European Union on January the 31st. The British people voted to leave three-and-a-half years ago. The U.K. made a special coin for the occasion. It is at the centre of an argument about punctuation. The new 50-pence coin has the words: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations" on one side. A British writer, Sir Philip Pullman, is unhappy. He believes the punctuation is incorrect. He said there should be a comma after the word "prosperity". Such a comma is called an Oxford comma. He said everyone who can read should ignore the coin.
The Oxford comma's name is from Oxford University. In the USA, it is called the serial comma. It is used before the final "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items. Many people say an Oxford comma is unnecessary on the 50-pence coin because the meaning is very clear. A word expert said the Oxford comma is useful if it is easier to understand the writer's meaning. A U.K. citizen said the comma wasn't important. She tweeted: "It doesn't matter if there is a comma or not on the 50p coin. The most important thing is that there is peace, and prosperity, and friendship with all nations."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Oxford Comma - Level 3
The United Kingdom officially left the European Union on January the 31st, three-and-a-half years after the British people voted to leave. The U.K. government issued a special coin to mark the occasion. However, the coin is at the centre of an argument about punctuation. The new 50-pence coin became available yesterday. It has the words: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations" on its reverse side. A famous British writer, Sir Philip Pullman, is unhappy with the punctuation. He believes the phrase is incorrectly punctuated. Mr Pullman said there should be a comma after the word "prosperity". Such a comma is called an Oxford comma. He said the coin, "should be boycotted by all literate people".
The Oxford comma gets its name from the Oxford University Press, which makes common use of the punctuation mark. In the USA, it is called the serial comma. It is used before the final "and" or "or" in a written list of three or more items. Many people say there is no need for an Oxford comma in the phrase on the 50-pence coin because the meaning is very clear. Word expert Susie Dent said the Oxford comma is useful if it makes it easier to understand the writer's meaning. A U.K. citizen said the comma issue wasn't important. She tweeted: "It doesn't matter if there is a comma or not on the 50p coin. The most important thing is that there is peace, and prosperity, and friendship with all nations."
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