Coordinating Conjunctions Joining IndependentClauses

Section 8.2.2

Coordinating Conjunctions Joining Independent Clauses

Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction that joins two independent clauses. However, if the clauses arevery short and closely related, you may omit the comma.

Unacceptable

In almost all illicit markets, only the tip of the icebergis visible and there is no reason why thenuclear-materials black market should be an exception.

Acceptable

In almost all illicit markets, only the tip of the icebergis visible, and there is no reason why thenuclear-materials black market should be an exception.

--Phil Williams and Paul N. Woessner, "The RealThreat of Nuclear Smuggling," Scientific American

## Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions ##

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