Slowly but surely, the turtle finished the race. And and or can also be used to join the final two elements in a series, with commas separating the rest of the elements. What I consume the most are candy bars, chips, spicy burritos, red wine, and antacid tablets. Whether or not you place a comma before the and or or is a matter of stylistic choice.
In the United States, however, it is quite common. It is arguable that when writing in American English, using the serial comma is the best choice because it eliminates any possibility of ambiguity and creates order for the reader.
If your English teacher was of a certain age, you may believe that it is not acceptable to place a comma before words like and , but this has no true grammatical basis. He seemed poorly groomed yet well mannered. By covering my past-due bills with a brick, I can put them out of sight and out of mind. Coordinating conjunctions, a. Independent clauses are so called because each of them can stand on its own as a sentence.
I love candy bars, yet I know they are not good for me. When joining two clauses with a coordinating conjunction, always place a comma before the conjunction. I adore candy factories, and I want to own one someday. But the truth is, you can. Reverse the order of verbs in the second clause when using nor.
Or introduces a choice. It can also be used for clarification or to show the result of an action. Insert the comma just before the coordinating conjunction as shown in this example:. Martha really wanted to go to the mixer, meet some potential employers, and explore her options; but she was worried she might miss it altogether as her car was late. That is called an Oxford or serial comma. You do not commit any grammatical crime by using it or not. Analyze your target audience before you decide whether to use the Oxford comma.
If not, then you can choose to omit it. If you need to use the Oxford comma in your writing, you can set up a rule in your ProWritingAid Style Guide to remind you. The most important rule with the Oxford comma is consistency. If you use it once, use it throughout your document. ProWritingAid will make sure your comma use is always consistent. Yes, you can start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, regardless of what your teachers may have taught you.
Doing that does not break any grammar rules. It won't, if you do it right. To avoid sentence fragments, ensure you add a main clause right after the coordinating conjunction. That way, the sentence will not have any syntax errors. Start with coordinating conjunctions only where it makes sense. To improve flow and readability, switch up the way you begin your sentences throughout your writing.
These two types of conjunctions link words and are both important in proper sentence construction. A coordinating conjunction links two elements that have equal strength. Subordinating conjunctions link dependent clauses to independent clauses. Examples of subordinating conjunctions include:. The coordinating conjunctions we have discussed in this article will help you create a coherent sentence.
Keep practicing so that you perfect the art of writing powerful sentences. Use ProWritingAid to check your writing and ensure everything flows smoothly. The Grammar Guide. Commas are not used between two verbs, two subjects, two complements, or two objects joined by a coordinating conjunction.
That confuses most analogies between universities and profit-making enterprises. Georgetown, for example, has eliminated one-third of its graduate programs in the past five years and recently decided to close its dental school. This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
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