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Are the following sentences are correct?

  1. Tim is a manufacturer and he is not able to fix the car.

  2. Tim is a manufacturer, and he is not able to fix the car.

I think the first sentence is wrong because it doesn't have the comma before AND, since they both can be independent sentences. Am I correct?

I have taken the first sentence from an App (BBC English Learning - Playstore)

Bharath Reddy
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1 Answers1

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Placing a comma before a coordinating conjunction is a matter of style; both your sentences are correct for this reason.

However, because comma suggests a pause, the second sentence, unlike the first, forces the revelation of Tim's not being able to fix 'the car' upon the reader.

  • Yes, I'd not use (1) here ... it seems implausibly bland. But I'd choose 'Tim is a manufacturer and he is not able to fix the car!' or even 'Tim is a manufacturer and he is not able to fix the car!' – Edwin Ashworth Aug 25 '20 at 14:57
  • @Edwin Ashworth: There is this pending question about punctuation (Who or what do the “among others” refer to in the context?)-- Mind going over to settle it? :) –  Aug 25 '20 at 15:22
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    @Stockfish: Link? – Peter Mortensen Aug 25 '20 at 15:34
  • @ Peter Mortensen https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/544645/who-or-what-do-the-among-others-refer-to-in-the-context –  Aug 25 '20 at 15:51
  • One or two answers (one by this writer) have been provided, but I am not sure if they could be considered definitive. –  Aug 25 '20 at 15:53