The Top 20 Grammar Erros: No comma in compound sentence

Concerning yesterday's post, I had a few comments referencing needing wine. Pronouns are a pain in the butt, but today's number 3 error is so much easier to deal with: No comma in compound sentence.

Let's start with a video!

 

 

Compound sentences are sentences that use conjunctions. Schoolhouse simplifies it a bit, because just as there are different types of pronouns there are also different types of conjunctions:

 

coordinating

subordinating

correlating

For our purposes, we'll take a look at the coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so.

A compound sentence doesn't always have to, but oftentimes uses one of these coordinating conjunctions. For example:

 

I was awake all last night, and I was tired today.

In the above sentence you have two independent clauses. An independent clause must always have at least a subject and a verb. In the first half of the example sentence the subject is I and the verb is was awake. In the second half of the sentence the subject is I and the verb is was tired. The two independent clauses are separated by the conjunction and. Let's change up the sentence to see if it works the same with a different conjunction:

I was awake all last night, but I wasn't tired today.

 

Here, the two independent clauses are separated by the conjunction but.

 

 

Notice that before each conjunction there is a comma. That's the rule. When combining two independent clauses into a compound sentence the comma goes before the conjunction.