A Few Words About That Ten-Million-Dollar Serial Comma
Worksheet
A. Reading comprehension
1. Explain what the Oxford comma is and provide an example. Do most
major English-language newspaper use the Oxford comma? Is the
Oxford comma used in the other languages you know?
2. Explain in a detailed way the source of the conflict between the truck
drivers and their employer. How did each party interpret the law? Which
party won the appeal?
3. According to the truck-drivers why is it relevant that the word ‘distribution’
in the law is a noun and not a gerund?
4. What is Strunk & White? Can you guess from the context?
5. Have you heard of transgender pronouns? What are they?
6. Do you know what the last sentence of the article (‘Got milk?’) is referring
to?
B. Grammar
1. Can you find a cleft in the first page of the article? Rewrite it in its
canonical form and explain why it was used.
2. Find two passive sentences in the text and explain why they are used.
C. Vocabulary:
Paraphrase the following expressions from the text:
1. for want of (paragraph 1):
2. lip-smacking (paragraph 2):
3. entitled (paragraph 3):
4. flout (paragraph 5):
5. lest (paragraph 6):
6. adamant (paragraph 7):
7. wholesome (paragraph 8):
8. backlash (paragraph 8):
