What is a Comma Splice?
A comma splice occurs when two or more complete sentences (i.e. independent clauses) are improperly joined with only a comma.
Examples of Comma Splices
Some examples of comma splices would be the following:
Comma Splice: I hate tomatoes, I don’t even put ketchup on my fries.
Correct it with a Semicolon: I hate tomatoes; I don’t even put ketchup on my fries.
Correct it with a Period: I hate tomatoes. I don’t even put ketchup on my fries.
Correct it with a Coordinating Conjunction: I hate tomatoes, and I don’t even put ketchup on my fries.
Comma Splice: Mike is a talented violinist, he sits first chair in the orchestra.
Correct it with a Semicolon: Mike is a talented violinist; he sits first chair in the orchestra.
Correct it with a Period: Mike is a talented violinist. He sits first chair in the orchestra.
Correct it with a Coordinating Conjunction: Mike is a talented violinist, and he sits first chair in the orchestra.
Comma Splice: I hope there isn’t traffic, I need to get home and walk my dog.
Correct it with a Semicolon: I hope there isn’t traffic; I need to get home and walk my dog.
Correct it with a Period: I hope there isn’t traffic. I need to get home and walk my dog.
Correct it with a Coordinating Conjunction: I hope there isn’t traffic, for I need to get home and walk my dog.
Why You Should Avoid Comma Splices in Your Writing
Avoiding comma splices is important primarily because using them is grammatically incorrect, but additionally, they can disrupt the readability of your writing and question your credibility as a writer.
Remember: A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (ie, two complete sentences) are incorrectly joined by just a comma without a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation. Below are three ways in which you can correct comma splices:
Add a semicolon in place of the comma splice.
Comma Splice: The game was over, we walked home.
Correction with a Semicolon: The game was over; we walked home.
Add a period in place of the comma splice.
Comma Splice: The game was over, we walked home.
Correction with a Period: The game was over. We walked home.
Add a coordinating conjunction after the comma splice.
Comma Splice: The game was over, we walked home.
Correction with a Coordinating Conjunction: The game was over, so we walked home.
Avoiding comma splices is critical for conveying your ideas clearly and accurately. Other writing errors such as run-on sentences and sentence fragments are important to avoid as well, so be sure you are familiar with those.
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