Examples:
- "Do you want coffee or tea?"
- "You can choose to go to the park or the movies."
No comma is needed in these sentences because "or" is connecting two words or phrases that are alternatives.
However, there are some situations where you do use a comma before the word "or".
One situation is when "or" is used to introduce a non-restrictive clause.
Example:
- "The man, who was wearing a red shirt, was seen running from the scene of the crime."
In this example, the clause "who was wearing a red shirt" is a non-restrictive clause that provides additional information about the man. Since the clause is non-restrictive, we use a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
Another situation where you use a comma before "or" is when the word is used to connect two complete thoughts.
Example:
- "I went to the store, and I bought some milk, bread, and eggs, or maybe I did not buy eggs."
In this example, "or maybe I did not buy eggs" is a complete thought that is connected to the first sentence by the word "or." Since the two thoughts are connected, we use a comma to separate them.
So, the general rule is that you do not use a comma before the word "or" when it is used to connect two words or phrases that are alternatives. However, you do use a comma before "or" when it introduces a non-restrictive clause or when it connects two complete thoughts.