Which sentence shows correct use of a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses?

Which sentence shows correct use of a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses?

• A. We went to the store, and we bought milk.
• B. We went to the store and we bought milk.
• C. We went to the store; we bought milk
• D. We went to the store; and we bought milk

Answer: (A)

When you join two independent sentences with a coordinating conjunction, you usually place a comma before the conjunction. Each clause could stand alone: “We went to the store” and “we bought milk.” The comma before “and” shows that these two ideas form one integrated sentence. So the sentence with the comma—“We went to the store, and we bought milk.”—fits this rule, because it correctly links two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction preceded by a comma. The other options differ in punctuation: omitting the comma before the conjunction is a less formal or fused sentence; using a semicolon but then adding a coordinating conjunction afterward isn’t standard; and a semicolon by itself to join two clauses doesn’t involve the coordinating conjunction at all.

When you join two independent sentences with a coordinating conjunction, you usually place a comma before the conjunction. Each clause could stand alone: “We went to the store” and “we bought milk.” The comma before “and” shows that these two ideas form one integrated sentence.

So the sentence with the comma—“We went to the store, and we bought milk.”—fits this rule, because it correctly links two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction preceded by a comma.

The other options differ in punctuation: omitting the comma before the conjunction is a less formal or fused sentence; using a semicolon but then adding a coordinating conjunction afterward isn’t standard; and a semicolon by itself to join two clauses doesn’t involve the coordinating conjunction at all.