Britain is divided over a missing Oxford comma on a new "Brexit" coin.
Finally, some Brexit news for grammar pedants! The new commemorative Brexit 50p piece (cursed phrase) is missing an Oxford comma. The coin reads “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” (lol, k).
Phillip Pullman called for the coin’s boycott on Twitter.
The ‘Brexit’ 50p coin is missing an Oxford comma, and should be boycotted by all literate people.
— Philip Pullman (@PhilipPullman) January 26, 2020
As a fellow Oxford comma enthusiast, I agree that the omission is alarming. Is “prosperity and friendship” meant to be read as a single quality? Is Boris Johnson planning to privatize friendship? Oh wait, that’s probably it.
Carry on!
[via The Guardian]
Jessie Gaynor
Jessie Gaynor is a senior editor at Lit Hub whose writing has appeared in McSweeney's, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, The Glow was published by Random House in 2023. You can buy it here.
