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Can an independent clause be interrupted by a conjunction without a comma and still be an independent clause? e.g.:

He poured me another drink and I drank it.
or:
Max climbed onto his horse and we rode away.

Would these be considered compound sentences? Or are these sentences grammatically incorrect?

As far as I know, compound sentences must include a comma. Is this information incorrect?

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2 Answers 2

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Yes, that is a compound sentence. A clause has a subject and a verb, and can stand on its own, and since both clauses can stand by themselves, they are both independent clauses.

https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/independent-and-dependent-clauses.html states the differences between independent and dependent clauses.

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    Did you want to address the comma question?
    – Yosef Baskin
    Jan 16 at 23:04
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You have two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (a compound sentence) whether you use a comma or not. Independent clauses don’t much care about punctuation, but stylists tend to:

When independent clauses are joined by and, but, or, so, yet, or any other coordinating conjunction, a comma usually precedes the conjunction. If the clauses are very short and closely connected, the comma may be omitted . . . unless the clauses are part of a series. These recommendations apply equally to imperative sentences . . .
Source: The Chicago Manual of Style (login required)

Here are a couple of the offered examples:

All watches display the time, and some of them do so accurately.
but
Electra played the guitar and Tambora sang.

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  • Some prescriptivists might insist on a comma in CMOS’s second example sentence. However, even they usually don’t object when both clauses share a modifier, e.g.: “At the party, Electra played the guitar and Tambora sang.”
    – MarcInManhattan
    Jan 17 at 1:09

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