When is comma before and

The sentence is correct with or without the comma before and. There are a few exceptions that require you to use the Oxford comma in a list, but they are pretty rare. Just be consistent. By the way, this rule only applies to lists of three or more items. The dog is well trained, and good natured. The dog is well trained and good natured. Sam, and Sarah take excellent care of their pets.

Sam and Sarah take excellent care of their pets. The dog barks, and plays. The dog barks and plays. The word and is a conjunction , and when a conjunction joins two independent clauses, you should use a comma with it.

It seems, indeed, that the commas can be removed in example 1. However, their presence becomes justified if we read the sentence aloud — we make a short pause after the words historically and slash , precisely the places where the commas should be. A useful rule of thumb is to place commas where one makes a pause in speech. When in doubts then, read the sentence aloud. If you pause at some place, insert a comma to mark the pause. Still, commas are more than simple pause-markers; they help the reader understand the structure of the sentence and resolve ambiguity.

Compare the two sentences:. The sentence without comma means that only those students who passed the exam went on a trip. The sentence with commas means that all students went on a fieldwork trip, and they all, by the way, passed the exam.

The comma placed before and or, nor is not obligatory, but it is recommended because it sometimes disambiguates the sentence. Sentence 6 means that Tom likes fish and chips, and he also likes toasts. Without the comma before and it is unclear how to group the last three items. Separating complicated and coordinate by a comma is incorrect, as the two adjectives are not coordinate coordinate complicated adjectives means something else. Be careful to use a comma only when the part after and, or, nor, but, etc.

If it is not, then no comma should be used. An easy way to determine whether the second part of the sentence is a full clause is to see whether it has its own [subject]. If it does, then it is a full clause. For instance, the second clause in example 11 has the subject John, different from the subject the rain in the first clause.

The second sentence includes a semicolon. The third sentence has two independent clauses as separate sentences. You do not need a comma when you are listing two items. Nor do you need a comma when two nouns are together as a compound subject.

Compound Subject: A compound subject is two or more simple subjects that are joined by a coordinating conjunction. Simple Subjects: Noun or pronoun that the sentence or clause is about. Daryl, and his teammates will be going to Derby on Wednesday.

Daryl and his teammates will be going to Derby on Wednesday. The first sentence has misused a comma to separate the two nouns. The second sentence uses no comma, as it is not required. If you are joining two independent clauses, use a comma before the word but. John loves pizza but he loves ice-cream too. John loves pizza, but he loves ice-cream too. Where the but is not joining two independent clauses, do not use a comma. The toilet paper is soft, but strong. The toilet paper is soft but strong.

The comma is a useful and multifunctional part of English grammar, it can help the flow of a piece of text and provide a small break for the reader.

Read more of our blogs here. What is a comma and when do I use it? When to use them Some parts of grammar are easy to understand. Comma After Introductory Phrase When you are introducing a sentence, you will most often use a comma. Here is an example: When the show is over, Richard will come home. Using them with Subjects and Verbs A comma should not separate a subject and its verb. Comma Splices A comma cannot be used to join independent clauses.

Comma Before But If you are joining two independent clauses, use a comma before the word but.