Whether or not you put a comma before
"and" depends on how you’re using "and". There’s no single rule that applies to all situations. You usually put a comma before "and" when it’s connecting two independent clauses. It’s almost always optional to put a comma before "and" in a list.
Comma Before And in Lists
A lot of people have strong feelings about putting a comma before "and" in a list. Exactly why this particular quirk of comma usage stirs such passions is hard to say; it’s just one of those things. If you’ve ever heard someone arguing about Serial commas or Oxford commas , this is what they were talking about.
Here’s a tip: Commas can be tricky, but they don’t have to trip you up.
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Examples:
Let’s say your dog has so many great qualities that you just have to tell the world. When you list your dog’s qualities, you have to use a comma after each quality you list except the one that comes immediately before "and": that comma is optional.
The sentence is correct with or without the comma before "and" in a list, but they are pretty rare. Just be consistent. Don’t switch back and forth in the same document between using the Oxford comma and not using it.
By the way, this rule only applies to lists of three or more items. You should not use a comma before "and" if you’re only mentioning two qualities.
This is true for proper names, ordinary nouns, verbs, or anything else.
Comma Before And That Joins Two Independent Clauses
The word "and", when joining two independent clauses, allows the use of a comma with it. The proper place for the comma is before the conjunction.
Example: Jane slapped him, he squabbled around.
The sentence above contains two
independent clauses, so it takes a comma before " and". (By the way, you can tell they’re independent clauses because each one could stand on its own as a complete sentence).
Here’s a tip: Remember, when you’re joining two independent clauses, you need both a comma and a conjunction. If you use a comma without a conjunction, you’ll end up with a splice.
Let’s look at another example: It's cold outside, but I can't find my coat.
Once again, we have two independent clauses: It’s cold outside plus I can’t find my coat. Therefore, we need a comma before "and".
Don’t use a comma before "and" when one of the clauses it’s connecting is a
dependent clause.
Ex.: Sam tossed the ball and watched the dog chase it.
The first clause, "Sam tossed the ball", could stand on its own as a complete sentence, which means it’s an independent clause. But the second clause, "watched the dog chase it" , can’t stand by itself as a complete sentence. That means it’s a dependent clause, so we should not use a comma before "and".
Exceptions:
But wait! There’s an exception. (Isn’t there always?) When you have two independent clauses joined together by and , most style guides say that it’s OK to leave the comma out as long as the two independent clauses are very short and closely connected.
Here’s an example: "Sam is first and Quirk is second".
It’s not wrong to add a comma before
" and" in the sentence above, but doing so might make the sentence a little choppy.
BASICS:
"The dog is young, well trained, and good natured". ⏩ Correct
"The dog is young, well trained and good natured". ⏩ Correct
There are a few exceptions that require you not to use the Oxford comma
"The dog is well trained, and good natured". ⏩ Incorrect
"The dog is well trained and good natured". ⏩ Correct
"Sam, and Sarah take excellent care of their pets". ⏩ Incorrect
"Sam and Sarah take excellent care of their pets". ⏩ Correct
"The dog barks, and plays". The ⏩ Incorrect
"The dog barks and plays". ⏩ Correct