Comma before And
When two simples sentences are joined together using a
conjunction (e.g., and, but, or), it should be preceded by a comma. (This is also covered in the lesson
Commas before Conjunctions.)
Examples:
 Our team was given 2 minutes' notice, but theirs had been training for weeks.
("Our team was given 2 minutes' notice." + "Theirs had been training for weeks".
These two sentences are merged into one using the conjunction "but".
In this role, "but" should be preceded by a comma.)
I have spoken to Sarah, and she has confirmed the delivery date.
("I have spoken to Sarah." + "She has confirmed the delivery date".
The conjunction "and" should be preceded by a comma.)
I have spoken to Sarah, and confirmed the delivery date.
("I have spoken to Sarah." + "confirmed the delivery date". The conjunction
"and" should not be preceded by a comma in this example, because
"confirmed the delivery date" is not a sentence. This is a list comprising two
actions: "spoken to Sarah" and "confirmed the delivery date".)
We eventually found the cave, but Jack was not there.
We built the hut in an hour and then painted it.
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COMPOUND SENTENCE?
A sentence made up of two simple sentences is called a 'compound sentence'. The conjunction that joins the two halves of a compound sentence should be preceded by a comma.
 I love milk. (< normal sentence)
I cannot drink it when it is
warm.(< normal sentence)
I love milk, but I cannot drink it when it is warm. (<
compound sentence)
Note the comma before 'but'.
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Common grammar errors
