Which sentence uses an Oxford comma correctly?

• A. We bought apples, oranges and bananas.
• B. We bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
• C. We bought apples oranges and bananas.
• D. We bought apples oranges, and bananas.

Answer: (B)

The Oxford comma is the comma before the conjunction in a list of three or more items, and it helps show that each item is separate. The sentence that uses it correctly is the one that reads: “We bought apples, oranges, and bananas.” It places the comma after oranges, just before “and,” making it clear that apples, oranges, and bananas are three distinct items. Without that comma, as in “apples, oranges and bananas,” the last two items can read as a unit, which can lead to ambiguity. A version with no punctuation, “We bought apples oranges and bananas,” isn’t clearly separated into individual items. And a version like “We bought apples oranges, and bananas” puts the comma after the wrong item, which breaks the standard list rhythm and isn’t the same as using the Oxford comma.