Grammar geeks, unite! Solve the much-debated crossword clue now

As a keen detective always on the lookout for clues, my first step was to break down the crossword clue: ‘Much-debated grammar topic‘. This suggested to me that the solution likely involved a grammar rule that was a point of contention among language experts. The use of the word “much-debated” also implied that it was not a commonly agreed-upon rule, making it a bit trickier.

Next, I examined the length of the spaces allotted for each letter in the crossword puzzle. This led me to the realization that the answer was likely to be a long word. That’s when my grammar expertise kicked in, and I remembered the often-debated grammar rule regarding serial commas. Also known as the Oxford comma, it’s the final comma in a list of three or more items before the conjunction (e.g., “I bought apples, bananas, and oranges”). Those who argue against it say it can be omitted without changing the meaning, while others maintain that it clarifies the intended meaning.

With this realization, the solution now appeared before me: SERIALCOMMA. It was a perfect fit for the space, and the much-debated nature of the rule also fit with the clues. Mystery solved!