When NOT to use a comma with coordinating conjunctions?Īs we’ve seen, commas are not used with coordinating conjunctions when they join a compound verb (two or more verbs that share a single subject). In the next section, we explain this further. A comma should never be used between the two verbs in this case. It has no subject (he) and only has meaning when joined to the first half of the sentence using “and.” This is what we call a subordinate (or dependent) clause.īecause the two verbs (saw + fell in love) now share a single subject (Hades), they can be referred to in grammatical terms as a compound verb. The removal of “he” means that the second clause (“immediately fell in love with her”) is no longer an independent clause. If you look carefully, you’ll see that “he” has disappeared from the second clause, as has the comma after “day.” Hades, the god of the Underworld, saw Persephone picking flowers one day and immediately fell in love with her. Hades, the god of the Underworld, saw Persephone picking flowers one day, and he immediately fell in love with her.Īnother way to write this sentence would be as follows: If we want to join these two clauses into a single sentence, we can use a coordinating conjunction, in this case “and”. He (subject) immediately fell (main verb) in love with her. Hades, the god of the Underworld (subject), saw (main verb) Persephone picking flowers one day.Ģ. It always contains a main verb and a grammatical subject (the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that comes at the very beginning of a sentence and is engaged in the activity of the verb).ġ. This indicates that the clauses are to be read separately.Īn independent clause is one that works as a full sentence on its own. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction when you join two independent clauses. For And Nor But Or Yet So When should you use a comma before a coordinating conjunction? There are seven coordinating conjunctions, and the best way to remember them is through the acronym FANBOYS: What is a coordinating conjunction?Ī coordinating conjunction can join two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives, two adverbs, two phrases, or two independent clauses. They are used to separate parts of a sentence to make the meaning clear and the sentence easier to read. When do you use a comma?īroadly speaking, commas indicate a brief pause. Here, we’ll explain how to use commas with coordinating conjunctions (and, but, so, yet, or, nor, for). It’s important to understand comma rules for this reason. It leads to incorrect comma use that can make the meaning of a sentence more difficult to understand. A common piece of writing advice is to insert a comma where there would be a natural pause in speech.
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