Listen to the Lesson
And is used to connect two or more similar words or ideas.
We can use “and” between adjectives or nouns.
- She is tall and pretty.
- He was a writer and a painter.
We can use “and” to connect two shorter sentences. This helps us make longer sentences.
Sentence 1, + and + sentence 2
- He is a talented basketball player, and he is also a great baseball player.
- She works here in the morning, and she works there at night.
We can use different verb tenses even in the same sentence.
- I am tired today, and I will probably be tired tomorrow.
- This pizza restaurant was terrible last time, and it is terrible this time, too!
We can also use “and” when we want to show that two things happen, happened, or will happen at the same time.
- I studied, and she watched TV.
- He does his homework and he listens to music in the evening.
We can also use “and then” to show the order of events. “Then” is optional, but we should use it when the meaning is not clear without it.
Action 1 + and (then) + action 2
- He read a book and went to bed.
- We ate and left.
- I will go to France, and then I will go to Germany.
- She gave her opinion and then sat down.
We can also use “and” to show a repeated action.
- He coughed and coughed.
- The children laughed and laughed.
- My boss just talks and talks and talks during meetings.
Bonus Tips and Points
1. We should use a comma before “and” when “and” is used between two sentences. These sentences will have two subjects.
- They went to the gym, and I went to the movie theater.
- Mark works at a car company, and Bill works at a marketing firm.
- She made cookies, and he made a cake.
- Mary went to the store, and then she went to the bank.
2. If the subject of both sentences is the same, then we do not need to repeat it. When we do this, we do not need to use a comma.
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- She works and listens to music.
(=She works, and she listens to music.)
- She works and listens to music.
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- Mark came to our house and helped us.
(=Mark came to our house, and he helped us.)
- Mark came to our house and helped us.
- She came for 10 minutes and then left.
(=She came for 10 minutes, and then she left.)
3. We only use “and” one time when we are listing nouns, adjectives, and prepositional phrases. We use “and” between the last two words.
- She went to Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
- He is funny, nice, and handsome.
- I looked for my phone in the car, in my bedroom, in the bathroom, and at my office.
Real-World English Conversations
A) What do you need to do today?
B) I need to go to the bank, and I need to go grocery shopping.
A) What did you buy at the store?
B) I bought a jacket, and my brother bought me a new hat.
A) Where does he want to go on your trip?
B) He really wants to go to Spain, Portugal, and France.
A) What do we need to make cookies?
B) We need flour, butter, sugar, and chocolate.
A) Okay. I am going to the bank and I can pick those things up on my way home.
Use these free English lessons to learn the most common sentence patterns in the English language. If you learn these sentences and questions, it will help you speak English well. Study the lessons thoroughly, practice making your own sentences, and come back to review often. If you do these three steps, your English speaking will improve quickly and you will be able to have natural English conversations.
English Sentence Patterns for Speaking Index
