The Serial, or Oxford, Comma

In the last week, I've run into no less than three separate conversations regarding the Oxford comma, which is almost as heated a debate as the use of "said" versus "murmured," or "whispered," or any other verb that gets a character talking for attribution.

I suppose I should start off with what an Oxford comma is. The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the final comma in a list. It separates the penultimate from the ultimate word. Example time:

• Last night, I had chicken, chocolate cake, and noodles for dinner.

The comma between "chocolate cake," and "and" is an Oxford comma.

What does this little mark do? This is where the debate comes in. Those who don't like this form of punctuation claim that it's unnecessary; that the "and" signifies the last word in the list. Those who prefer it say the comma removes ambiguity, and keeps true to the actual function of a comma: to hold the place of a breath in speech.

Personally, I love the Oxford comma. I'm a huge fan. I notice it every time it's missing. I know there's other people out there who couldn't disagree with me more.

How do you feel about this fussy piece of punctuation?