Commas Lesson #3: Commas & Compound Sentences

How do you identify an independent clause?

A clause is a group of words that has both a subject (noun or pronoun) and a predicate (a verb), and which makes sense a complete though on its own In other words, an independent clause is a complete sentence.

Look at the Independent Clauses below:

-Jill went to the movies with Jayden.
-We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast every morning.
-Finn and Seymore went skydiving last week.

​Look at come compound sentences:

-Jill went to the movies with Jayden, but I had to work.
-We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast every morning, and it was wonderful.
-Finn and Seymore went skydiving last week, so they missed the party.

A compound sentence MUST have a comma and a coordinating conjunction. If it has ONLY a comma, that is a comma splice.
-I like cake, but Jill likes pie. This is correct
-I like cake, Jill likes pie. This is a commas splice and is wrong
-I like cake but Jill likes pie. This is wrong because the comma is missing