Question

which sentences have commas that join independent clauses? select the two that apply.

it was the last day of summer, and carson worried that he still wouldnt get the check he desperately needed. despite the numerous hours he had put in as a barista at a local coffee shop, he felt all the work may have been useless. he had been hoping to buy a car at the end of the month. he was determined to get that money, and he decided it was time to confront his supervisor.

answer
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it was the last day of summer, and carson worried that he still wouldnt get the check he desperately needed. despite the numerous hours he had put in as a barista at a local coffee shop, he felt all the work may have been useless. he had been hoping to buy a car at the end of the month. he was determined to get that money, and he decided it was time to confront his supervisor.

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Coordinating Conjunctions and Independent Clauses
Connecting complete thoughts using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).

Step 1: Understand the Rule for Joining Independent Clauses

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence.

When you connect two independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so—often remembered by the acronym FANBOYS), you must place a comma before the conjunction:

$$ \text{Independent Clause} + \text{, [coordinating conjunction]} + \text{Independent Clause} $$

If the clause after the comma and conjunction cannot stand alone as a complete sentence (for example, if it lacks a subject), then the comma is not joining two independent clauses.

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Step 2: Analyze Sentence 1

• Sentence: "It was the last day of summer, and Carson worried that he still wouldn't get the check he desperately needed."
• Clause 1 before the comma: "It was the last day of summer"
• Subject: "It", Verb: "was". This is a complete thought (Independent Clause).
• Conjunction: "and"
• Clause 2 after the conjunction: "Carson worried that he still wouldn't get the check he desperately needed"
• Subject: "Carson", Verb: "worried". This is also a complete thought (Independent Clause).
• Result: This comma correctly joins two independent clauses.

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Step 3: Analyze Sentence 2

• Sentence: "Despite the numerous hours he had put in as a barista at a local coffee shop, he felt all the work may have been useless."
• Phrase before the comma: "Despite the numerous hours he had put in as a barista at a local coffee shop"
• This is an introductory prepositional phrase, not an independent clause (it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence).
• Result: This comma does not join two independent clauses; it sets off an introductory phrase.

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Step 4: Analyze Sentence 3

• Sentence: "He had been hoping to buy a car at the end of the month."
• Result: This sentence contains no commas.

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Step 5: Analyze Sentence 4

• Sentence: "He was determined to get that money, and he decided it was time to confront his supervisor."
• Clause 1 before the comma: "He was determined to get that money"
• Subject: "He", Verb: "was". This is a complete thought (Independent Clause).
• Conjunction: "and"
• Clause 2 after the conjunction: "he decided it was time to confront his supervisor"
• Subject: "he", Verb: "decided". This is also a complete thought (Independent Clause).
• Result: This comma correctly joins two independent clauses.

Answer:

The two sentences that have commas joining independent clauses are:

1. "It was the last day of summer, and Carson worried that he still wouldn't get the check he desperately needed."
2. "He was determined to get that money, and he decided it was time to confront his supervisor."