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Choosing the right conjunction is important to make the meaning clear.
Examples:
- He is intelligent but hardworking.
- He is intelligent and hardworking.
(Since the conjunction and  connect similar ideas, it should be used in the above sentence.)
Examples:
- I have always been weak in mathematics and I have never failed a test.
-
I have always been weak in mathematics,
but
 I have never failed a test.
( But is more appropriately used because the two sentences above have opposite ideas.)
When ‘and’ is used to connect two words or phrases in a sentence, no comma is used. Commas are used when there are three or more items in a sentence.
Examples:
- I had bacon and an egg.
- I had bacon, a toast, and an egg.
We can start a sentence with a conjunction or place it in the middle of the sentence. A comma is used when a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause comes before the main clause as shown here. The subordinating conjunctions are in bold.
Examples:
- If  he is not here soon, we shall leave without him..
- We shall leave without him if  he is not here soon.
- When  you see him, please talk to him about it.
- Please talk to him about it when  you see him.
- Although  she is my office colleague, we hardly talk to each other.
- We hardly talk to each other although  she is my colleague.
- Because  the weather is bad, we decide not to go out.
- We decide not to go out because  the weather is bad.
- Before  I go to bed, I have a glass of milk.
- I have a glass of milk before  I go to bed.
- After  the accident, he decided to give up his job..
- He decided to give up his job after  the accident.