English·Grammar & Punctuation·procedural
Commas Before Joining Words
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so, yet) when joining two independent clauses in a compound sentence
Suggested ages 9–11
Learning journey
Your child is mastering advanced grammar and punctuation — using complex sentence structures with relative clauses, understanding how to change word meanings with prefixes and suffixes, and creating cohesive, well-connected writing.
Evidence of understanding
- Place a comma before the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence, e.g. 'I wanted to go outside, but it was raining'
- Distinguish compound sentences (two independent clauses) from simple sentences with compound predicates, e.g. 'She sang and danced' needs no comma but 'She sang a song, and he played the piano' does
- Edit writing to insert missing commas before coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences
Assessment prompt
When Commas Before Joining Words joins two complete thoughts with a word like "but" or "so" — like "I wanted to go, but it was raining" — do they put a comma before that joining word?
Standards alignment
L.4.2cUS · ccss-ela
L.4.2c
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 4
L.5.2bUS · ccss-ela
L.5.2b
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · 5