Comma With Conjunctions – Grammar & Practice Sheet

Comprehending comma usage poses a significant challenge for numerous students, especially within academic writing. This difficulty typically arises due to their limited awareness of the various rules and exceptions governing comma usage. Our objective in this article is to elucidate a specific scenario where comma placement can prove perplexing. Through illustrative examples and elucidation of exceptions, we seek to provide clarity on when to deploy commas with conjunctions.

When to place commas with conjunctions

In this section, we’ll delve into the rules governing the placement of commas when conjunctions are used to join clauses or elements within a sentence. Understanding these rules is essential for achieving clarity and coherence in your writing.

Conjunctions are words used to connect clauses, phrases, or words within a sentence. They serve to establish relationships between different parts of a sentence. Common conjunctions include:

There are three types of conjunctions:

1. Coordinating conjunctions
2. Correlative conjunctions
3. Subordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, or independent clauses of equal syntactic importance in a sentence. These create compound sentences and can balance two or more elements effectively.

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions that work together to link equivalent elements in a sentence. They balance elements in a sentence that are not only equal but also directly related to each other in terms of their syntactic role.

Subordinating conjunctions connect an independent clause with a dependent clause, introducing the dependent clause and indicating the nature of the relationship between the two. This type of conjunction provides a transition between two parts of a sentence by highlighting the importance of one clause over the other.

It’s worth noting that comma rules, including those regarding conjunctions, may vary depending on the style guide followed and specific writing conventions. Additionally, there are exceptions to these rules based on context and stylistic preferences.

Commas with conjunctions

In this section, we’ll explore the use of commas with conjunctions to ensure clarity and coherence in your writing. We’ll discuss when to use commas with conjunctions and highlight any exceptions or variations to these rules, as well as provide examples along the way.

And & or in a list

When using the conjunctions “and” and “or” to connect items in a list, a comma is placed before the conjunction. This comma is known as the serial comma or Oxford comma. You only put a comma if there are three or more items in the list.

The serial comma clarifies the separation between items in the list and avoids ambiguity. It’s useful when the items themselves contain commas or when the final two items in the list are closely related.

However, some style guides or writing conventions may omit the serial comma in certain contexts, so it’s essential to follow the guidelines provided or maintain consistency within a document.

Interrupting phrases

When conjunctions are used to connect interrupting phrases in a sentence, commas are employed to set off the interrupting phrase from the rest of the sentence. This helps to maintain clarity and indicates a pause in the sentence’s flow.

These commas signal to the reader that the interrupting phrase provides additional information or adds nuance to the main clause. They help to prevent confusion and ensure that the reader understands the sentence structure correctly.

Coordinating conjunctions

When coordinating conjunctions are used to link two independent clauses, a comma is placed before the conjunction to separate the clauses. This comma is known as a coordinating conjunction comma and helps to clarify the relationship between the clauses. The coordinating conjunctions are usually referred to as FANBOYS to remember them. The acronym stands for the coordinating conjunctions “for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” and “so.” You can check out our article about commas with FANBOYS to read up on the topic more thoroughly.

Causes a pronounced pause

In sentence structure, you can distinguish between “strong” and “weak” breaks referring to the stress and emphasis put on different words or elements in a sentence. Differentiating between these types of breaks plays a vital role due to their ability to change the delivery and meaning of a sentence. When “thus” functions as a pronounced pause, it provides a great emphasis to the flow of the whole sentence. When this can be categorized as a proper interruption, commas are needed around “thus.”

No commas with conjunctions

In this section, we’ll discuss instances where commas are not used with conjunctions. We’ll explore scenarios where the absence of a comma is appropriate and provide examples to illustrate these cases. Understanding when not to use commas with conjunctions is crucial for maintaining clarity and coherence in writing.

Correlative conjunctions

Commas are not used with correlative conjunctions because these pairs of conjunctions work together to connect sentence elements, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives, and they are not typically separated by punctuation. Correlative conjunctions are pairs of words that join elements of equal importance within a sentence. They are typically used in pairs, and each pair serves a specific grammatical function.

Common correlative conjunctions include “both… and,” “either… or,” “neither… nor,” “not only… but also,” and “whether… or.”

Subordinating conjunctions

Commas are not typically used with subordinating conjunctions because these conjunctions introduce dependent clauses, which are already subordinate to the main clause. Subordinating conjunctions are words that join an independent clause (a complete sentence) with a dependent clause (an incomplete sentence). These conjunctions indicate the relationship between the dependent clause and the independent clause, such as cause and effect, time, condition, contrast, or purpose.

Common subordinating conjunctions include “after,” “although,” “because,” “before,” “if,” “since,” “when,” “while,” “until,” and “though.”

Not linking independent clauses

No comma is used when coordinating conjunctions do not link two independent clauses because the coordinating conjunction connects elements of equal grammatical weight within a sentence, such as words, phrases, or clauses. When the coordinating conjunction is used to join elements other than independent clauses, a comma is not necessary.

Practice sheet

The provided sentences give a chance to practice the use of commas with conjunctions. To check your responses, consult the second tab labelled “answers.”