The United Kingdom officially the European Union on January the 31st, three-and-a-half years after the British people to leave. The U.K. government a special coin to the occasion. However, the coin is at the centre of an argument about punctuation. The new 50-pence coin available yesterday. It 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 the phrase is incorrectly punctuated. Mr Pullman said there should a comma after the word "prosperity". Such a comma is an Oxford comma. He said the coin, "should be by all literate people".
The Oxford comma its name from the Oxford University Press, which common use of the punctuation mark. In the USA, it is the serial comma. It is used before the final "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items. Many people say there 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 it easier to the writer's meaning. A U.K. citizen the comma issue wasn't important. She : "It doesn't matter if there is a comma or not on the 50p coin. The most important thing that there is peace, and prosperity, and friendship with all nations."
