In this ESL writing worksheet, students are introduced to the proper usage of the conjunction “and” with both dependent and independent clauses.
Punctuation: Commas and Conjunctions (with “and”)
When you write “and” in a sentence, you have to be careful: Do you need a comma?
Look at these sentences:
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- · I went to the theater. I watched a movie.
These are both complete sentences, so you can connect them with a comma (,) and “and”:
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- · I went to the theater, and I watched a movie.
But you can also write this a different way:
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- · I went to the theater and watched a movie.
You do not need a comma in this sentence, because “watched a movie” is not a complete sentence (it doesn’t have the subject “I”).
Examples (all of these sentences are correct!):
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- · John ate a sandwich, and he watched TV.
- · John ate a sandwich and watched TV.
- · Martha visited her daughter, and she had a good time.
- · Martha visited her daughter and had a good time.
Write two sentences for each of the situations below. Write one sentence with a comma, and write one sentence without a comma. The first one is done for you.
1. Alex worked in a bank. He met many interesting people.
Answer 1: Alex worked in a bank, and he met many interesting people.
Answer 2: Alex worked in a bank and met many interesting people.
2. The criminal stole a motorcycle. He had to pay a $1,000 fine.
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3. Anna travelled to Spain. She came back with many interesting gifts for us.
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4. Mickey lives with his parents. He helps them run their business.
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5. My cousin loves sports. He hopes to become a gym coach.
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