Commas – With coordinate conjunctions

Dr. Grammar says:

“What’s wrong with these sentences? I went to the supermarket to buy some milk, sugar, and bread and then came home again.”

EXPLANATION:

Commas are an important part of grammar. If we don’t use commas correctly, not only is the grammar wrong, but it also looks or sounds strange when we read or speak.

Why are commas useful?

There are a number of reasons why we use commas:

1. They separate the clauses in a sentence to make it easier to understand.

2. They give the reader a chance to rest and understand what was said before.

3. They give the speaker a chance to pause and take a breath.

When do we use commas?

Commas are used for many grammar structures, but this lesson will focus on just one structure, with coordinate conjunctions (For more information on coordinate conjunctions, please see the lesson “Coordinate Conjunctions”).

In this lesson we will focus on just three coordinate conjunctions. For example:

I like to listen to pop, jazz and folk.

I like to listen pop and jazz, but not folk.

I don’t like to listen to jazz or folk.

1. I like to listen to pop, jazz and folk.

This is to finish a list. We do not use a comma when using and in a list. For lists, the commas go 1, 2 and 3 or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. It doesn’t matter how long the list is, we put and between the last two things, with no comma.

2. I like to listen to music, and I often go to see live concerts.

This is to link two sentences together, so we need a comma.

3. I like to listen to music, but I don’t often go to see live concerts.

This is the same as example 2, it links two sentences together so needs a comma.

4. Would you like to listen to jazz or pop?

This is very similar to example 1, but is offering options, not a list. We do not need a comma here.

5. Would you like to listen to music, or we could go out for a coffee.

This is very similar to examples 2 and 3 because “or” links two sentences.

EXERCISE:

Look at the following sentences and decide where commas are needed (some sentences might need more than one):

1. We could go to the cinema or a coffee shop but I don’t want to go to the park.

2. She usually eats rice and vegetables for lunch and for dinner she has soup.

3. Ben often goes to the park to exercise or to relax but he never goes to the gym.

4. I like to wear jeans a T-shirt and sandals but my brother likes to wear smart trousers a shirt and shoes.

Answers:

1. We could go to the cinema or a coffee shop, but I don’t want to go to the park.

2. She usually eats rice and vegetables for lunch, and for dinner she has soup.

3. Ben often goes to the park to exercise or to relax, but he never goes to the gym.

4. I like to wear jeans, a T-shirt and sandals, but my brother likes to wear smart trousers, a shirt and shoes.

So…

I went to the supermarket to buy some milk, sugar, and bread and then came home again. X 

I went to the supermarket to buy some milk, sugar and bread, and then came home again. √

FURTHER PRACTICE:

Now go to the other lesson for this week which is also about commas.

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).