And is a coordinating conjunction: a small word that joins words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical weight and adds one thing to another. It links bread and butter, and it links two full sentences, as in She smiled, and he waved back. You can start a sentence with it. You need a comma before it only in certain situations, explained below.
Quick answers
- What is it? A coordinating conjunction that adds one item or idea to another.
- Can a sentence start with “And”? Yes. It is a style choice, not a grammar error.
- Comma before “and”? Usually yes when it joins two complete sentences. No when it joins two words, two phrases, or two verbs that share a subject. In lists of three or more, it depends on your style guide.
- Plural verb? Usually yes (Tom and Maria are late), with exceptions for single units (Macaroni and cheese is) and for each or every.
What “And” Does in a Sentence
And connects things that play the same role in a sentence. Nouns join nouns, verbs join verbs, and clauses join clauses.
| What it joins | Example |
| Words | salt and pepper |
| Phrases | in the kitchen and on the balcony |
| Verbs | She opened the door and walked in. |
| Clauses | It was raining, and we stayed inside. |
The main idea is addition, but and can also carry other meanings:
- Result: Miss the last bus and you’ll have to walk. (If you miss it, you will walk.)
- Two actions treated as one: Come and see. Go and ask her.
- Emphasis: The soup is nice and hot.
How “and” differs from “but” and “or”
And, but, and or belong to the same small family, the coordinating conjunctions. The full set is for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so, often remembered as FANBOYS. Each does a different job:
- And adds: I like tea and coffee.
- But contrasts: I like tea but not coffee.
- Or offers a choice: Would you like tea or coffee?
Learners often use and where but is needed. She is young and very experienced sounds odd if you mean a surprising contrast. She is young but very experienced makes the contrast clear.
Can You Start a Sentence With “And”?
Yes. Merriam-Webster says it is perfectly acceptable to begin a sentence with and, and that examples of it go back more than a thousand years. Major style guides do not treat it as a mistake.
I didn’t always know that. In my second year of college, I got back an essay I was proud of, covered in red ink. Every sentence starting with “And” or “But” was circled, with one note: “Not academic.” I was annoyed, because I’d seen plenty of published writers do exactly that. So I asked my professor about it after class. She smiled and admitted it wasn’t a grammar rule, just her preference for formal essays. That answer changed how I write. Now I ask “Who’s reading this?” before I decide. In an essay for her, I’d avoid it. On my blog, I start sentences with “And” all the time.
So where does the “rule” come from? Merriam-Webster’s usage editors could find only one printed statement of it, an 1868 comment by a critic named George Washington Moon. One likely explanation is that teachers wanted children to stop stringing sentences together with endless and…and…and. The advice was meant for young writers, but many people never learned it could be dropped.
Some teachers, editors, and organizations still prefer that you avoid it in formal writing, so it is worth knowing your audience.
| Context | Starting with “And” |
| Fiction, blogs, casual writing | Common, and useful for rhythm |
| Emails and business writing | Fine in moderation |
| Academic essays | Check your instructor’s or journal’s preference; use sparingly |
| Formal exams or strict house styles | Safest to avoid |
Used sparingly, an opening And adds emphasis or a natural spoken feel:
We tried every option. And none of them worked.
Overused, it becomes a habit that reads like a child’s story:
We arrived early. And we found our seats. And we waited, also and nothing happened.
A small punctuation point: you don’t normally put a comma right after a sentence-opening And. Write And we left, not And, we left. A comma appears only if something interrupts, as in And, honestly, we were relieved.
Do You Put a Comma Before “And”?
It depends on what and is joining. There are three cases.
When “and” joins two complete sentences
If both sides could stand alone as sentences, put a comma before and:
The store closed early, and we went home.
Chicago style recommends this comma. It is a convention rather than a strict grammatical rule, and it helps readers see where one clause ends and the next begins. Writers often leave it out when both clauses are very short: I ran and he walked.
Be careful not to replace and with a comma. The store closed early, we went home is a comma splice, an error. With and, the comma is correct.
When “and” joins two words, phrases, or verbs
If the second half cannot stand alone, usually because it shares its subject with the first half, don’t use a comma:
She opened the door and walked in.
He likes reading and writing.
The comma in She opened the door, and walked in is unnecessary.
When “and” ends a list
In a list of three or more, the comma before the final and is called the serial comma or Oxford comma. Two items never take it: salt and pepper.
We bought milk, eggs, and bread. (with serial comma)
We bought milk, eggs and bread. (without)
Style guides disagree. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends it, while AP style, used by many newspapers, generally omits it in a simple series. It is more common in American than in British writing, although some British publishers use it, notably Oxford University Press.
The serial comma can matter when a sentence has two possible readings:
We invited the cooks, Sara and Ben. (Are Sara and Ben the cooks, or extra guests?)
We invited the cooks, Sara, and Ben. (Three separate groups)
If you leave the comma out, check that the meaning is still clear. If it isn’t, rewrite the sentence or add the comma. Whichever you choose, use it consistently.
| Style guide | Serial comma |
| Chicago Manual of Style | Recommended |
| AP Stylebook | Generally omitted, except when needed for clarity |
| Your school or workplace | Follow their rule |
If you are writing your own blog or essay and no one has given you a rule, either choice is fine. Pick one and stay with it.
A quick test you can use every time
Cover the words after and and ask: could they work as a complete sentence on their own?
- The concert was sold out, and we watched it online. → We watched it online is a full sentence. Use a comma.
- We watched the concert online and cheered. → Cheered cannot stand alone. No comma.
- Milk, eggs, and bread. → It is a list of three. Follow your style guide.
Is a Subject With “And” Singular or Plural?
When and joins two subjects, the subject is usually plural and takes a plural verb:
Tom and Maria are late phrases that require correct grammatical structure.
The teacher and the students were tired.
There are a few exceptions.
A single unit or idea. If two items form one thing, the verb is singular:
Macaroni and cheese is my favorite dinner.
Fish and chips is a classic British meal.
My friend and colleague is joining us. (one person)
“Each” and “every.” When each or every comes before the subjects, the verb is singular:
Every student and teacher has a pass.
“As well as” does not work like “and”
Phrases such as as well as, along with, together with, and in addition to do not make the subject plural. The verb agrees with the first subject:
The teacher, as well as the students, was tired.
The manager, along with two assistants, is attending.
If you want a plural subject, use and: The teacher and the students were tired.
Common “And” Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Faulty parallelism. Items joined by and should have the same grammatical form.
✗ He enjoys cooking, hiking, and to paint.
✓ He enjoys cooking, hiking, and painting.
“Me and him” as a subject. This is common in speech, but standard writing uses subject pronouns: He and I went. Remove the other person to test it: I went works, me went does not.
“Between you and I.” After a preposition such as between, to, or for, use object pronouns: between you and me, She gave it to Sam and me. Again, test by dropping the other person: She gave it to me.
Comma splice. Two full clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone. Add and after the comma, or use a period or semicolon.
✗ The rain stopped, we went outside.
✓ The rain stopped, and we went outside.
Chains of “and.” Too many ands in a row make writing feel breathless:
We visited the museum and we had lunch and we walked by the river and we went home.
Try varying the structure:
After visiting the museum and having lunch, we walked by the river and then went home.
Repeating and deliberately can be a literary technique, but only when it is a choice and not a habit.
“And/Or,” “&,” “Try and,” and Other Special Uses
And/or. This means one or both: Bring a pen and/or a pencil. It appears often in legal and business writing but can look clumsy in ordinary prose. Usually you can choose and or or, or write X, Y, or both.
The ampersand (&). This symbol stands for and in company names, logos, and some citation styles (Johnson & Johnson). In everyday and formal prose, write out and.
“Try and” vs. “try to.” Try and fix it is common in speech and informal writing and is well established. In formal writing, try to fix it is the safer choice.
“‘n'” in casual names. In informal titles and speech, and can be shortened with apostrophes on both sides: rock ‘n’ roll. It does not belong in formal writing.
“And” in titles. In most title-case styles, and is lowercase unless it is the first or last word: Pride and Prejudice.
“And” in numbers. In words, British English usually adds and (one hundred and fifty). Formal American style often leaves it out, although Americans commonly say it in speech.
Check Your Understanding
Try these, then compare with the answers below.
- Which is better: She grabbed her keys, and walked out or She grabbed her keys and walked out?
- Add a comma if needed: The concert was sold out and we watched it online.
- Choose the verb: Every student and teacher (has / have) a pass.
- Choose the verb: The manager, along with two assistants, (is / are) attending.
- Complete: Please sit between Ana and (I / me).
- Fix the parallelism: He enjoys cooking, hiking, and to paint.
- True or false: Starting a sentence with And is a grammar error.
- Rewrite to reduce the and chain: We visited the museum and we had lunch and we walked by the river and we went home.
Answers
- She grabbed her keys and walked out. Both verbs share one subject, so no comma is needed.
- The concert was sold out, and we watched it online. Both sides are complete clauses.
- Has. Every makes the subject singular.
- Is. Along with does not make the subject plural, and the subject is the manager.
- Me. Between is a preposition and takes an object pronoun.
- He enjoys cooking, hiking, and painting.
- False. It is a style choice, and some formal contexts prefer to avoid it.
- One possible rewrite: We visited the museum, had lunch, and walked by the river before going home. Other versions also work.
About the Author
Admin is the owner and main writer of ZyluxMag, an English grammar and vocabulary blog. Admin writes practical guides built around clear rules, natural example sentences, and the everyday mistakes learners and writers actually make. Every article aims to answer the question first and explain the reasoning after, so you can use what you learn in your own writing right away.
