Question

Which sentence uses commas correctly? i was hoping to speak with my friends tonight but, they had to study for an exam tomorrow. i met with the admissions counselor at the college, and then i began to apply for financial aid. neither mary nor her mother was aware, of any problems with the car when they sold it. jason designed the kitchen cabinets and, his wife lisa, designed the kitchen table?

Answer 1

The second sentence. 

I met with the admissions counselor at the college, and then I began to apply for financial aid.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B. I met with the admissions counselor at the college, and then I began to apply for financial aid.

Explanation:

The comma (,) is a punctuation mark mainly use to separate two ideas that are related and introduce a short pause. According to grammar, comma should be placed before coordinating conjunctions, this includes words as but, for, not, yet, and, especially when the comma is used for linking to independent clauses which are sentences with a subject, verb, and complement, also, commas are used for separating items in a list; after certain adverbs such as finally, however, firstly; before negations in a sentence, among others. Thus, in the case of "I met with the admissions counselor at the college, and then I began to apply for financial aid." comma is used correctly because it is placed after a coordinating conjunction "and" that is separating two independent clauses "I met with the admissions counselor at the college" and "I began to apply for financial aid", which according to grammar is the correct use of comma.