WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: Should You Put a Comma Before "And?"

Episode Date: September 26, 2024

Like most things in English: It depends. Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith and I'm back with another pesky grammar question. Should you put a comma before and? As with all things English, the answer is it depends. In a list such as eggs, milk, and cheese, the comma before the and is called the Oxford comma. Most style guides, all the correct ones anyway, advocate using this comma to reduce confusion, although you can technically leave it off. In a sentence with a dependent clause, such as, I read your note and was delighted to hear the news,

where there's no subject for that second verb, you don't need a comma before and. If the clause were independent, meaning that the second half of the sentence could stand alone as a full sentence, you do need the comma. Your sentence would read, I read your note, and I was delighted to hear the news. That's your Grammar Minute. Visit Thegrammerminut.com for more tips and tricks.