Why does an author use a comma in the sentence?

Question

I need your help. I’ve been learning English for now almost 3 years and can say with confidence that I’m quite good at it – although sometimes struggle with punctuation.

I’ve got two sentences (taken from a newspaper and a book):

Alito and Thomas repeated a position on mandatory jurisdiction (,) and said they would not stop the Electoral College from voting Monday.
He got a Maine newspaper called the Portland Press-Herald () and watched it for items concerning a small southern Maine town…

I can't put my head around it – why there’s a comma in the first phrase but no comma in the second one? What am I missing about it? I would really love to know why it is so. Thanks.

@fev That link is about compound sentences with 2 independent clauses. These sentences have either a null subject in the second clause, or a compound predicate, but I'll wait for a better grammarian than me to weigh in... — Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_, Dec 15 '20 at 13:21
I don't think it would be wrong to leave out the comma. The writer just chose to use one. — Kate Bunting, Dec 15 '20 at 13:52
Duplicate of Comma usage with compound predicates The comma is optional here. Useful for those with smaller lungs. And as a parsing aid. — Edwin Ashworth, Dec 15 '20 at 17:03
To be fair, the pause signalled by a comma could correspond to to a more 'abrupt', disjointed coordination, perhaps with consequence ('he sprained his ankle, and had to withdraw' vs 'he ate his scone and drank his coffee'). — Edwin Ashworth, Dec 15 '20 at 19:18

Why does an author use a comma in the sentence?

0 Answers0