Yesterday we talked about making a compound sentence by joining two simple sentences with a comma and the conjunction and.
Today is Tuesday, and I am going to school.
However, not every sentence with the word and is a compound sentence. Before you add a comma, be sure that there is a complete thought on both sides of the word.
These sentences do not need a comma, because there is not a complete thought on both sides of and:
My mother bakes cookies and cakes.
It is raining and thundering.
Bob plays basketball and mows lawns.
In contrast, these sentences are compound sentences with a complete thought on each side of the word and. Be sure to insert a comma into these compound sentences:
The girls are at gym class, and the boys are in the science lab.
My sister is in second grade, and my brother is in sixth.
I like dogs, and my dad likes cats.
Use a comma with and when connecting two complete thoughts.
▶Now you try it. Which of these two sentences needs a comma with the word and? Barbara plays tennis and John plays baseball. Sam and Janice are friends. Did you put a comma into the first sentence? Good for you!