Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions (Full Guide with Examples and Sources)

[Olakunle O 1]

Thank you for this piece. It is very educative.

[Pranithayennawar]

That's a lot of information and much needed one. Thankyou!

[Gurjind Kaur]

That was really helpful, It made me go back to my grammar.

[Abdullahi A 2]

Thanks alot.I've learned something new today.

[Abdo Sonbol]

what great tips !!
thanks a lot

[Anna Bookowski]

I have a question about missing commas in reported speech. I understand that general errors in dialogues should not be listed by reviewers but I guess it should apply to situations when the error is somehow intended by the author. What about cases when it's an obvious mistake/error that is not planned and happens more times?
Random examples:
"Drink your tea honey"
"Well I'm not sure"
"Hello darling how are you today"
I've read already third book in a row full of missing commas, all in sentences similar like examples above. I see that reviewers before me didn't count these as mistakes. But in my opinion it should be:
"Drink your tea, honey"
"Well, I'm not sure"
"Hello, darling, how are you today?" and so on. Especially that these are obviously random errors - once there are commas in right places, once they're not there.
So how should I approach it? Should they be listed as errors or uncounted errors or ignored?
(I do believe they have negative impact on the general flow of reading, as I keep thinking "There should be a comma there!")

[kingdomseeker01]

Simple explanations and easy to understand.
This should be of great help to all learners and writers. Good job.

[ROSEY-ANN]

Coordinating conjunctions are words that join two equal elements in a sentence, such as two nouns, two verbs, two phrases, two modifiers, two independent clauses. The following are examples of words that can be used as coordinating conjunctions:

• and
• or
• nor
• so
• but
• for
• yet

For coordinating conjunctions connecting two elements, a comma is used if and only if the conjunction is connecting two independent clauses. An independent clause is a phrase that would be a sentence all on its own.

For example, the following is incorrect because the word "and" is connecting the nouns "John" and "Joe" which are nouns not independent clauses.

INCORRECT: John, and Joe, went to the mall.

Instead, the following is correct:

CORRECT: John and Joe went to the mall.

The word "John" would not be a sentence on its own; it's just a noun, and the word "Joe" is also just a noun. So the conjunction "and" in the two examples above is connecting two nouns, not two independent clauses. Therefore, a comma should not be used.


Here are some more examples:


INCORRECT: The furry, and big cat is named Paul.

CORRECT: The furry and big cat is named Paul.

The coordinating conjunction (the word "and") in the above examples is connecting the word "furry" with the word "big". The word "furry" is an adjective, not an independent clause. The word "big" is an adjective, not an independent clause. Therefore, in the examples above, the conjunction "and" is connecting two adjectives, not two independent clauses. Therefore, a comma should not be used.


INCORRECT: Jennifer wrote, and directed the show.

CORRECT: Jennifer wrote and directed the show.

In the above examples, the conjunction joins the verb "wrote" and and the verb "directed". Since it connects two verbs, not two independent clauses, a comma should not be used.


INCORRECT: Jennifer wrote the play, and directed the show.

CORRECT: Jennifer wrote the play and directed the show.

In the above example, the conjunction joins the phrase "wrote the play" and the phrase "directed the show". The phrase "directed the show" is not an independent clause. Therefore, a comma should not be used.


CORRECT: I went to the kitchen, and I ate pizza.

USUALLY INCORRECT: I went to the kitchen and I ate pizza. (Because this is only usually incorrect, it should NOT be marked as an error in the objective section when editing reviews.)

In the above example, the conjunction joins the independent clause "I went to the kitchen" with the independent clause "I ate pizza". Therefore, generally a comma must be used. However, some style guides allow for the comma to be omitted if the two independent clauses are "very short". Because there is subjectivity in what qualifies as "very short", I recommend never mark the omission of this particular comma (one before a coordinating conjunction connecting two independent clauses) as an objective error, even if the sentences seem long. What is short, medium, or long can be subjective.


In the above examples, I used the conjunction "and". However, the same goes for other conjunctions. Here are more examples:


INCORRECT: The furry, but big cat is named Paul.

CORRECT: The furry but big cat is named Paul.


INCORRECT: Jennifer wrote, or directed the show.

CORRECT: Jennifer wrote or directed the show.


USUALLY INCORRECT: I went to the kitchen but I ate pizza.

CORRECT: I went to the kitchen, but I ate pizza.


Keep in mind, the above rules apply when dealing with a coordinating conjunction that connects two and only two equal parts. If three or more parts are connected, then a list is created and commas do become required. Here are some examples:

INCORRECT: The dog is big furry and mean.

CORRECT: The dog is big, furry, and mean.

ALSO CORRECT: The dog is big, furry and mean.

The optional comma left out in the very last example is called the Oxford Comma. Some style guides require it, but other style guides allow it to be left out. However, that is a different topic.


Sources and Additional Reading
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/CoordConj.html
https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/conjunctions.htm
https://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/conjunctions.htm
http://plato.algonquincollege.com/appli ... age_id=156

Thank you.

[Anna Bookowski]

I have a question about missing commas in reported speech. I understand that general errors in dialogues should not be listed by reviewers but I guess it should apply to situations when the error is somehow intended by the author. What about cases when it's an obvious mistake/error that is not planned and happens more times?
Random examples:
"Drink your tea honey"
"Well I'm not sure"
"Hello darling how are you today"
I've read already third book in a row full of missing commas, all in sentences similar like examples above. I see that reviewers before me didn't count these as mistakes. But in my opinion it should be:
"Drink your tea, honey"
"Well, I'm not sure"
"Hello, darling, how are you today?" and so on. Especially that these are obviously random errors - once there are commas in right places, once they're not there.
So how should I approach it? Should they be listed as errors or uncounted errors or ignored?
(I do believe they have negative impact on the general flow of reading, as I keep thinking "There should be a comma there!")

@Scott ?? Anyone?? Can I get any answers, please?

[Scott]

I have a question about missing commas in reported speech. I understand that general errors in dialogues should not be listed by reviewers but I guess it should apply to situations when the error is somehow intended by the author. What about cases when it's an obvious mistake/error that is not planned and happens more times?
Random examples:
"Drink your tea honey"
"Well I'm not sure"
"Hello darling how are you today"
I've read already third book in a row full of missing commas, all in sentences similar like examples above. I see that reviewers before me didn't count these as mistakes. But in my opinion it should be:
"Drink your tea, honey"
"Well, I'm not sure"
"Hello, darling, how are you today?" and so on. Especially that these are obviously random errors - once there are commas in right places, once they're not there.
So how should I approach it? Should they be listed as errors or uncounted errors or ignored?
(I do believe they have negative impact on the general flow of reading, as I keep thinking "There should be a comma there!")

Scott ?? Anyone?? Can I get any answers, please?

It appears that your question is regarding the Review Team, not grammar.

This forum (the public International Grammar forum) is for all members to discuss grammar publicly. Keep in mind, most members are not reviewers on the Review Team, but rather just book lovers who like to talk about books and reading (and grammar).

Thus, I suggest you post your question in the private Review Team Support Forum, which is just for reviewers to discuss the Review Team.

[Anna Bookowski]

I have a question about missing commas in reported speech. I understand that general errors in dialogues should not be listed by reviewers but I guess it should apply to situations when the error is somehow intended by the author. What about cases when it's an obvious mistake/error that is not planned and happens more times?
Random examples:
"Drink your tea honey"
"Well I'm not sure"
"Hello darling how are you today"
I've read already third book in a row full of missing commas, all in sentences similar like examples above. I see that reviewers before me didn't count these as mistakes. But in my opinion it should be:
"Drink your tea, honey"
"Well, I'm not sure"
"Hello, darling, how are you today?" and so on. Especially that these are obviously random errors - once there are commas in right places, once they're not there.
So how should I approach it? Should they be listed as errors or uncounted errors or ignored?
(I do believe they have negative impact on the general flow of reading, as I keep thinking "There should be a comma there!")

Scott ?? Anyone?? Can I get any answers, please?

It appears that your question is regarding the Review Team, not grammar.

This forum (the public International Grammar forum) is for all members to discuss grammar publicly. Keep in mind, most members are not reviewers on the Review Team, but rather just book lovers who like to talk about books and reading (and grammar).

Thus, I suggest you post your question in the private Review Team Support Forum, which is just for reviewers to discuss the Review Team.

Oh, that's so confusing. It was my understanding that grammar forum is meant to discuss grammar. I'll copy this question to the Review Team forum then. I hope I'll get an answer then.... Thank you.

[Ruchi Raina]

Awesome! Thank you, Sir. I was struggling with the usage of commas. I think I understand where to use them now.

[Poojitha Borra]

Noted ! Thanks a lot

[Katie Blackmore]

Thank you for clarifying this. I was wondering if the oxford comma was accepted or not. I really appreciate the explanation on this since we are not using a specific style guide.

[Harsh 06168]

Wow, this was very helpful. thank you.