The conjunction “and” can connect:
- homogeneous members of the sentence (definition and definition, predicate and predicate, etc.);
- simple sentences within a complex sentence.
Placing a comma before the conjunction “and” connecting homogeneous members of a sentence.
A comma is PUT if the conjunction is “and”
1. with homogeneous terms it is repeated:
And the birch tree is cute in the sun, on a gray day, and in the rain.
2. connects more than two homogeneous members:
Being alone in the forest is noisy, and creepy, and sad, and fun.
A comma is NOT APPLIED if
1. homogeneous members are connected in pairs (pairs are separated from each other):
In Crete they lived freely and cheerfully, wide open and without hiding.
Placing a comma before the conjunction “and”, connecting simple sentences as part of a complex sentence.
A comma is APPLIED if
1. simple sentences are connected as part of a compound sentence: , and .
A thunderstorm was approaching, and clouds covered the entire sky.
2. after the subordinate part of the sentence comes the second part of the double conjunction THEN, AS or BUT:
He wore dark glasses, a sweatshirt, and stuffed his ears with cotton wool. , And when I got into the cab, That ordered to raise the top.
Occasionally a small snowflake stuck to the outside of the glass , And if you look closely, That one could see its finest crystalline structure.
A comma is NOT APPLIED if
1. both parts of a complex sentence have common minor term, most often this is a circumstance of place or time, less often an addition:
At the Christmas tree at school(this is the common minor term) the children read poems and Santa Claus gave them gifts.
At the Snow Maiden's (and this is him too) had large gray eyes and white braids that went down to the waist.
2. two combined impersonal offers(that is, there is no subject in the sentence), containing synonymous members:
Necessary wrap a scarf around your throat and necessary try rinsing it with baking soda.
3. general subordinate clause:
While Santa Claus was saving Snow Maiden, The Wolf and the Fox stole the lights from the Christmas tree and the holiday was again under threat.
4. general introductory word (most often this is a word indicating the same source of the message for both parts:
According to the wanderer Feklushi, people in this country with dog heads and fiery serpent for speed they began to harness.
Fortunately, New Year It happens only once every 365 days and you rarely have to buy gifts in such quantities.
5. two interrogative, imperative, exclamatory or nominative sentences are combined:
Who are you and where do you come from?
Let winter end and warm days come!
6. two homogeneous subordinate clauses are combined as part of a complex subordinate sentence:
We went on a hike when the rain stopped Andwhen the sun came out.
Important! In cases of placing a comma before the conjunction “and”, connecting SIMPLE SENTENCES IN COMPLEX SUBJECTIVES, the logic of placing the sign is the same as with homogeneous members.
It seemed as if the entire forest was being torn down at once and the earth was groaning in pain.(conjunction AND single)
He recalled how the Nazis suddenly attacked them, and how they found themselves surrounded, and how the detachment still managed to break through to their own.(conjunction AND is repeated)
IN complex sentences, consisting of three or more predicative parts, there may be combinations of two subordinating conjunctions (WHAT IF, WHAT WHEN, etc.) and combinations of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (AND HOW, AND ALTHOUGH, etc.).
1. Two subordinating conjunctions in a row can occur in complex sentences with sequential subordination of subordinate clauses. Compare two sentences:
And I'm telling you, What I'll go with you If you will go.
And I'm telling you, what if you will go, I will go with you (L. Tolstoy).
In the first example, the main part ( And I'm telling you...), followed by a subordinate clause (... I'll go with you...), relating to the main part. Such parts of the assumption are called clauses of the first degree. And the subordinate clause completes the sentence (... if you go), relating not to the main part, but to the first subordinate clause. Such parts of a sentence are called subordinate clauses of the second degree.
In the second case, the subordinate parts are rearranged: after the main part of the sentence there is a subordinate clause of the second degree, and then a subordinate clause of the first degree. It was in this situation that two subordinating conjunctions found themselves side by side: the conjunction WHAT, with the help of which a subordinate clause of the first degree is attached, and the conjunction IF, which attaches a subordinate clause of the second degree. In such a sentence, there is a comma between two subordinating conjunctions.
Please note: from such a sentence the subordinate clause of the second degree ( ...if you go...) can be easily removed without destroying the entire syntactic structure: And I'm telling you that... I'll go with you.
Now let's change this sentence a little again:
And I'm telling you, what if you will go, That I'll go with you.
In this example, the correlative word TO appeared in the last subordinate clause. This is the second part of the compound conjunction IF...THEN. As a result, there is no comma between the conjunctions WHAT and IF. Please note: here we cannot omit the second degree clause ( ...if you go...), since the word TO, which refers to the last part of the sentence, will be retained in the sentence.
It turns out that the conjunction THAT joins a single structure of two parts, connected by union IF... THEN, and therefore, a comma between the words WHAT and IF is not needed. Consider two more similar sentences, only with the conjunctions WHAT and WHEN.
This is because what, when the carriage stops, the speed slows down throughout your whole body (A. Tolstoy).
Egor made a remark that was unexpected for Levin: what when he lived with good gentlemen, Then he was pleased with his masters (according to L. Tolstoy).
A comma between the conjunctions WHAT and WHEN is only in that sentence where there is no word THEN.
2. In addition to complex sentences with sequential subordination of subordinate clauses, a similar situation can arise in constructions where both coordinating and subordinating connection simultaneously. In this case, there may be nearby composing and subordinating conjunctions. Compare two sentences:
Curtain rose, And How As soon as the audience saw their favorite, the theater began to tremble with applause and enthusiastic cries (Kuprin).
Curtain rose, And How only the public saw their favorite, So the theater trembled with applause and enthusiastic shouts.
Please note: in both examples, AND and HOW are next to each other, but there is a comma only in the first sentence. The fact is that in the second example there were a simple conjunction AND and a compound conjunction AS... SO. The second (correlative) part of the compound conjunction follows after the subordinate tense.
Try removing the subordinate clause from the sentence, starting with the word HOW before the next comma. This is possible only in the first case, and in the second sentence the meaning will be destroyed, since the second part of the compound conjunction SO will remain in the subordinate clause.
Compare two more sentences:
and although her words were familiar to Saburov, they suddenly made his heart ache (Simonov).
The woman talked and talked about her misfortunes, and although her words were familiar to Saburov, But They suddenly made my heart ache.
In the second sentence, there is no comma between the conjunction AND and the conjunction ALTHOUGH, since the concessive subordinate clause is followed by the conjunction BUT, which actually takes on the function of connecting the first and third parts of a complex sentence. For this reason, in the second example, the words AND ALTHOUGH turn into a single conjunction that does not require separation in writing using a comma.
So, you need to remember the following rules.
1. With sequential subordination, subordinating conjunctions may appear nearby (WHAT and IF, WHAT and WHEN, etc.). A comma is placed between them only if there are no correlative words THEN or THEN later in the sentence.
2. If in a complex sentence there are coordinating and subordinating conjunctions nearby (AND and ALTHOUGH, AND and HOW, etc.), then you need to find out whether after the subordinate part of the correlative words THEN, SO or another coordinating conjunction (A, BUT, HOWEVER and etc.). A comma is placed only when these words are missing after the subordinate clause.
Exercise
- _ although no one asked themselves why anyone cared that the mayor was sleeping on a glacier and not in an ordinary bedroom, everyone was worried (Saltykov-Shchedrin).
The hunting sign that if the first animal and the first bird are not missed, then the field will be happy, turned out to be true (L. Tolstoy).
She knew that if the letter was shown to her husband, he would not refuse her (according to Tolstoy).
He felt that if he faltered, then everything would immediately go to hell (Gogol).
It always happened with Levin that when the first shots were unsuccessful, he got excited, annoyed and shot poorly all day (Tolstoy).
It never occurred to him that if he and other foreign idealists were Russians in Russia, the Leninist regime would exterminate them immediately (Nabokov).
In this case, the Foolovites surprised the world with their ingratitude, and as soon as they found out that the mayor was having a bad time, they immediately deprived him of their popularity (Saltykov-Shchedrin).
In passing, he ran into a change shop and exchanged all his large paper for small ones, and although he lost it at the exchange, his wallet grew significantly fatter (according to Dostoevsky).
In the penultimate room Andrei Filippovich met him, and although there were quite a few other people in the room who were completely strangers to Mr. Golyadkin at the moment, our hero did not want to pay attention to such a circumstance (Dostoevsky).
By morning the temperature had dropped, and although I was as lethargic as a toad, I put on my purple robe over my maize yellow pajamas and went to the office where the telephone was (Nabokov).
It may very well be that if the forms do not coincide with my requirements, I will abandon my legal claim (Tolstoy).
Andrei Filippovich answered Mr. Golyadkin with such a look that if our hero had not already been completely killed, he would certainly have been killed another time (Dostoevsky).
She, for example, became more and more convinced that if the general conversation was at times conducted in French, then this was done by conspiracy for the sake of devilish amusement (according to Nabokov).
The regimental commander announced that if these scandals do not stop, then we must leave (Tolstoy).
He felt that if he admitted this, it would be proven to him that he was saying nonsense that had no meaning (Tolstoy).
Levin made the remark long ago that when it becomes awkward with people because of their excessive compliance and submissiveness, it will very soon become unbearable because of their excessive demands and pickiness (Tolstoy).
Yankel turned to him and said that Ostap was sitting in the city dungeon, and although it was difficult to persuade the guards, he hoped to get him a date (according to Gogol).
He also petitioned for the establishment of an academy, and when he received a refusal, without further thought he built a house for rent instead (Saltykov-Shchedrin).
Even from the sound of light footsteps on the stairs, he felt her approach, and although he was pleased with his speech, he became afraid of the upcoming explanation... (Tolstoy).
But their hopes did not come true, and when the fields were freed from snow in the spring, the Foolovites, not without amazement, saw that they were standing completely naked (Saltykov-Shchedrin).
In a word, he thoroughly studied mythology, and although he loved to pretend to be pious, in essence he was the worst idolater (Saltykov-Shchedrin).
I loved visiting them, and although I ate terribly, like everyone else who visited them, although it was very harmful for me, I was always glad to go to them (Gogol).
She told him to hide under the bed, and as soon as the anxiety passed, she called her maid, a captive Tatar, and gave her orders to carefully take him out into the garden and from there send him over the fence (Gogol).
The grammarians started first, and as soon as the rhetoricians intervened, they already ran away and stood on the heights to watch the battle (according to Gogol).
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We all remember well from school that in sentences before conjunctions A And But a comma is always used, and it doesn’t matter whether the sentence is complex or simple homogeneous members. With the union And everything is much more complicated. Let's try to figure it out.
In the very general view the rule looks like this: simple in sentences with homogeneous members, a comma before And not placed, if this union single: I remember the dacha And swing… If union and repeats itself, comma is put between homogeneous members before the union: I remember the dacha And swing, And bonfire over the river... In complex(complex) sentence with a comma before the conjunction And, usually, is put: I remember the dacha And I still remember my childhood swing...
Thus, we summarize: in a complex sentence between its parts before the conjunction And a comma is placed; in a sentence with homogeneous members it is placed if the conjunction And repeats itself. To avoid mistakes, it is enough to correctly determine which sentence we have in front of us - a simple one with homogeneous members or a complex, complex one. To do this, you need to look at how many grammatical bases there are in the sentence (the grammatical base is the subject and the predicate). If one is a simple sentence, two or more are complex. In our examples in the sentence I remember the dacha and the swing... one subject - I, and one predicate - I remember, that is, one grammatical basis, which means the sentence is simple ( dacha And swing- homogeneous additions). In a sentence I remember the dacha, and my childhood swing remains in my memory... two grammar basics (I remember; the swing remains in my memory), which means the sentence is complex.
Let's go back to compound proposal. In what cases is there a comma before And in him not placed? There are several such cases, namely:
1) If parts compound sentence united somehow general element: common minor member, common introductory words, phrase, sentence or general subordinate clause:
This morning the wind died down And . (Complex sentence, This morning- common minor term for both parts; comma before And is not placed.)
When dawn broke, the wind died down And the long-awaited silence came. (Offer with different types communications; for parts 2 and 3, which are connected by a coordinating connection, subordinate clause When it dawned is common, meaning a comma before And is not placed.)
2) If each part of a complex sentence is an interrogative, imperative or exclamatory sentence:
What is this show about? And Who is it intended for?(Parts - interrogative sentences. Compare: What is this program talking about? Who is it intended for?)
How beautiful is this picture And it brings back so many memories!(Parts are declarative exclamatory sentences.)
Violinist, play And rejoice, people!(Parts are exclamatory sentences.)
3) If the parts of a complex sentence are nominal or impersonal sentences:
Summer evening And slight coolness.(Parts are denominative sentences.)
The house is flooded And It's warm on the veranda.(Parts are impersonal sentences.)
When is a comma placed before the word “which”? This is a question people often ask themselves when writing complex sentences. The rule of the Russian language states that if a sentence is complex, then a comma must be placed before the word “which”. Since this word is the connecting link of a complex sentence.
For example: We went to pick mushrooms in the forest, which began immediately behind the river.
Or this: We went into the forest, which began behind the river, to pick mushrooms.
A comma is added here.
A comma before the word “which”.
But if the sentence were interrogative and sounded like this: Which Russian language lesson?
There is no need for a comma here. Since this is a simple non-union proposal.
There is also a rule that if the word “which” is used together with a preposition, then a comma must be placed before the preposition.
As in this case: In the summer you need to eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible, which contain many useful vitamins.
There are a number of words in the Russian language (for example, introductory words) that require commas to separate them; Obviously, it is precisely this fact that influences the consciousness of the writers in this case and makes one doubt whether the word “what” is separated by commas, whether a comma is placed before “what” or “after”. But these issues are solved much more simply and in a completely different way. The essence of the rule is not that it is necessary to somehow punctuate the word “what” - it simply requires signs between parts of a complex sentence.
The word “what” is separated by commas
On both sides
Can there be a comma after "what"? Yes, but this is not related to the conjunction itself or the conjunction word. It’s just that after it there is something that itself requires commas: introductory construction, separate turnover, etc. The comma before “what,” which separates parts of a complex sentence, is not affected in any way.
- He was surprised that, having noticed the charming Sonya, his acquaintances were trying to quickly sneak away. (after “what” is an adverbial phrase)
- Ignat agreed that it looked like we wouldn’t have time to get to the city today. (after “what” is an introductory word)
Before the word
Why do commas even appear in the word “what”? “What” is a conjunction or pronoun, often acting as a connective word. It connects parts of a complex sentence. And in this case, except for rare exceptions, which are discussed below, a comma is required. The sign is always placed before the conjunction - this is the answer to frequently asked question“Does a comma come before or after what?”
- He didn't tell me what was in the envelope.
- We thought he had already returned from a trip abroad.
No comma needed
Is there always a comma before “what” or not?
1. Usually a comma is used, but there is an exception. It's about about complex sentences with homogeneous subordinate clauses connected by the conjunction “and”. These are sentences in which the main clause is joined by two (sometimes more) subordinate clauses that are similar in meaning. They answer the same question, although they may be joined by different unions. If there is an “and” between them, then a comma is not placed before the second conjunction.
- He told me what happened in the office and what he thought about it. (told you about what?)
- The child quickly understands what actions it is better not to do and what happens if the prohibition is violated.
2. Sometimes the combination with the conjunction “what” is not a subordinate clause; then the comma is not needed. This is not difficult to check: without the part of the phrase with the conjunction “that,” the sentence loses its meaning.
- They will always find something to ban.
- He has something to say.
3. Of course, there is no need to break it with a comma. set expressions like “just now.”
- The film has just started.
- We will never back down!
4. Compound conjunctions can be formatted differently with commas; it depends on the author's intention: whether the comma is placed before the entire construction or in the middle.
- He was late because he overslept again.
- He was late because he overslept again. (but if before the conjunction there are words like “exactly”, “only”, etc., a comma must certainly be before “that”: He was late precisely because he overslept)
