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Use comma before coordinating conjunction

All too often, Grammarwriters think a conjunction is enough to connect two sentences together. Others think a conjunction always needs a comma. You risk confusing readers should such an error be made.

Whenever you have two parts of a sentence connected by a conjunction (and, but, or, yet), and both parts could stand on their own as a complete sentence, a comma is needed before the conjunction. For example:

I planned to go the hotel pool, but I forgot to pack my swimsuit.

In this example, I planned to go the hotel pool and I forgot to pack my swimsuit could be complete sentences on their own. So a comma is needed before the conjunction but.

But is called a coordinating conjunction. The two parts of the sentence appearing on either side of but are called independent clauses.

If one part of the above sentence could not stand on its own, however, no comma would be needed before the conjunction. For example:

I planned to go the hotel pool but forgot to pack my swimsuit.

While I planned to go the hotel pool is a complete sentence, forgot to pack my swimsuit isn’t. Therefore, no comma is needed.

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