Which sentence correctly uses no comma between a compound subject joined by 'and'?

Which sentence correctly uses no comma between a compound subject joined by 'and'?

• A. Tom, Jerry went to the store.
• B. Tom and Jerry went to the store.
• C. Tom and Jerry, went to the store.
• D. Tom and Jerry went to the store today.

Answer: (B)

When two or more simple subjects are connected by and, they form one compound subject, so no comma should appear between them. In the sentence with Tom and Jerry as the subject, there’s no pause between the two names, and the verb goes with the plural subject—went to the store is correct for a compound subject. Placing a comma between Tom and Jerry (as in the other options) breaks the rule by interrupting the compound subject, making it read as two separate items rather than a single subject. The additional word today in the last option doesn’t affect the subject rule, but the clean no-comma form demonstrates the correct usage most clearly.

When two or more simple subjects are connected by and, they form one compound subject, so no comma should appear between them. In the sentence with Tom and Jerry as the subject, there’s no pause between the two names, and the verb goes with the plural subject—went to the store is correct for a compound subject.

Placing a comma between Tom and Jerry (as in the other options) breaks the rule by interrupting the compound subject, making it read as two separate items rather than a single subject. The additional word today in the last option doesn’t affect the subject rule, but the clean no-comma form demonstrates the correct usage most clearly.