Megan Cablk

While the topic has become relatively mainstream and “quirky” in recent times, there is still little that I care more about than the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is added onto a list of words between the last two that are separated by ‘and,’ ‘or,’ or ‘but.’ For example: 

I had eggs, toast, and orange juice.

This sentence makes perfect sense. The Oxford comma indicates that you are listing out what you are having for breakfast and allows the reader to see the three separate items that are being listed the first time they read through the sentence.

I had eggs, toast and orange juice. 

Now, most of the time, this sentence does make sense. However, when reading in a rush, it can seem like one is addressing toast and orange juice as if they are a tangible character, telling them that they had eggs today. That one small difference can disrupt the clarity of the sentence and cause the reader to waste time rereading the sentence to figure out what it is trying to say. 

Adding one small character into a sentence can create immense clarity. While this particular example is not that important, there are academic and professional uses for the Oxford comma where clarity is entirely necessary. 

Much to my personal chagrin, The North Star uses AP Style as its editing basis; AP Style removes all Oxford commas. Even after countless edited stories, it hurts a little bit every time I have to edit one out of a piece, and most of my fellow editors and writers feel the exact same way. Some even leave their Oxford commas in on purpose because they know how much it pains me to take them out. 

While there are some instances where the Oxford comma is considered ‘unnecessary’ for clarity, it does not make a lot of sense to have these standard editing styles be so against its use. There is no real need to take the risk of losing clarity when you can add in a single character to separate all of the items or phrases that are listed out. Teachers and editors will take this comma out, take off points for its use, and repeatedly emphasize its lack of importance, but if the writer feels it is useful for comprehension, why does it matter if this small character is added?

This argument is much larger than the Oxford comma. Grammar as a whole is relatively subjective. Sure, there are certain instances where you are supposed to  use specific types of punctuation, structures of sentences, and methods of organization that are taught in schools or publishing houses. But at the same time, writers and poets are labeled as ‘revolutionary’ for breaking these grammatical rules. Pieces can be much more powerful when the norms of grammar are stretched or abolished entirely. As trivial as it may seem, playing around with punctuation and sentence structure can be the defining points of a writer’s style and help them in expressing their true meaning. 

Some may argue that to ignore the established rules of grammar would create anarchy. Throwing all of the rules to the wayside could result in confusing and unruly pieces of literature, but completely disregarding all of the rules will never happen. Bending the rules, however, is acceptable and arguably necessary. It’s not so much “breaking the rules” as it is innovation; literature, like most things, does not need to be stagnant, stuck in the ways that were decided centuries ago. Just as a writer is allowed to experiment with new types of characters or unique settings to further along their story, grammar can be used the same way to create a meaningful separation from one story to the next. 

Periods will always end sentences, commas will separate ideas, and exclamation points will exclaim their excitement, but that doesn’t mean that this is the only function of these grammatical standards. From something as small as an Oxford comma to something as potentially impactful as a poet not using punctuation at all, grammar is a tool for a writer to use to get maximum impact from their story. Grammar should not be policed, but freely expressed. 

Learning from home — as we all know — is not easy. Especially in the last few weeks, I have found it increasingly difficult to stay motivated, focused, and organized; my brain is wired so that as soon as the sun goes down at 4 p.m., I don’t want to do any more work. Throughout the quarantine period, I have changed many things in my learning routine to try to increase my productivity. Here are what I have found most helpful:

Separate working and living

With a full house, I do my online school from my room. I found it really helpful to try and separate my working space from my living space to train my brain into knowing when it is time to work. When I am at my desk in my room, I try my best to make sure I am working whenever I am sitting there. If I want to go on my phone or watch a video, I shift over to my bed (admittedly, it is less than a foot away) to do so. To help reinforce this, I keep my phone plugged in next to my bed when I have a large chunk of work I need to tackle all at once. This has helped keep me focused on my work when I am at my desk and makes me consider when I really want to take a break and look at my phone.

Keep your working space clean

I have learned that a clean working environment is pretty essential for me. Since I am in my room for hours a day, having a clean and organized space makes it easier for me to hone in on my work. When there are clothes on my floor and things strewn across my dresser, I get easily distracted and want to clean that instead of doing my work. In my opinion, the best place to start is making your bed; even if the rest of the room is a mess, a made bed can transform the space and make you feel more put together. 

Fill the space with things you love

I have become a candle fanatic in the past few months; I almost always have one burning in my room because I like the cozy environment it helps create. I’m especially partial to wood wick candles for a little bit of ambient background noise.

I also enjoy having flowers in my room. If I am coming off of or expecting a difficult week, I will buy a relatively cheap bouquet of flowers from the grocery store just to add a bit of color and life to the room. 

Use the Pomodoro technique

On days I find it particularly difficult to focus on my work, I use a Pomodoro timer, sometimes called a tomato timer. This timer is a psychological trick that improves your productivity. When you start the timer, you work for 25 minutes, and then take a short five minute break. After four cycles, you get a longer, ten minute break. A lot of these timers can also be customized to have different work and break periods. For me, this timer makes it easier to stay focused on a task because I know that I have a break period coming up. When I dictate my own breaks, they go on for much longer and occur much more frequently than they probably should. By staying focused for 25 minute periods, I can get a lot more work done. 

Plan out your week

On asynchronous Mondays, the first thing I do is preview what I have for the week. I check what days I have work, tests or quizzes, workouts, or anything else that will take up time. This way, I can prioritize longer assignments and studying based on what days and times I have available. Also, I can plan days where I have more free time to give myself a break from work. For example, if I have a big test on a Thursday, I will try to get assignments done before that day so I can use Thursday night to decompress and do some things that aren’t school related as a reward. 

While these tips and many more can help you get your work done more efficiently and effectively, it’s important to remember that even when you are doing everything “right,” there are still going to be days when you are not as productive as you think you need to be that day. That’s okay. It is unrealistic to believe that every day is going to be perfect and that you will function at the highest capacity. But, there are ways to set yourself up for success to maximize  your working ability.