You probably heard and recognized two different sentences, two different complete thoughts. One is The course was difficult. And the other is It required five different texts. The previous statements are both comma splices. Each of them tries to connect two independent clauses with a comma--a punctuation mark that is too puny for the job.
In the first statement, the independent clauses or sentences are The lemonade was too tart and However, James drank it anyway. Notice that the length of the sentence has very little to do with creating a fused sentence or a comma splice they can be any length ; it is simply a matter of inappropriate punctuation.
Fortunately, these kinds of sentence errors commonly follow certain patterns, and that means we can look for particular signals to clue us in that we should check for the appropriate punctuation.
Note: If you are using a computer, make use of the grammar check; it will often catch comma splices. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Comma splices and fused sentences are independent clauses that have not been joined correctly. A word group that can stand alone as a sentence is known as an independent clause. When two independent clauses appear in one sentence, they can be joined in one of many ways. With a comma and a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
With a semicolon or occasionally a colon or a dash. Divide the two independent clauses into two sentences. Consider restructuring the sentences, perhaps by subordinating one of the clauses. Comma Splices occur when the writer connects two independent clauses with a comma. Incorrect: Chloe ate her dog food, the brand was Pedigree. To fix a comma splice or fused sentence, use one of the four strategies below. Strategy 1 — Make two complete sentences.
Read the fused sentence below: Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars. To fix the problem with Strategy 1 , you revise the sentence like this: Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle. Strategy 2 — Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
Consider our original example: Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.
To fix the problem with Strategy 2 , you should do this: Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle , and her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars.
Strategy 3 — Use a semicolon. Use a semicolon like this: Grandma still rides her Harley motorcycle ; her toy poodle balances in a basket between the handlebars. Keep these three things in mind when you use a semicolon: The two main clauses that the semicolon joins should be closely related in meaning. Do not capitalize the word that follows the semicolon unless that word is a proper noun , one that is always capitalized. Every day, millions of children go to daycare with millions of other kids, there is no guarantee that none of them are harboring infectious conditions.
Many daycares have strict rules about sick children needing to stay away until they are no longer infectious, enforcing those rules can be very difficult. Fixing run-ons and comma splices. You can make two complete sentences by inserting a period. This is the strongest level of separation. You can use a semicolon between the two clauses if they are of equal importance; this allows your reader to consider the points together.
You can use a semicolon with a transition word to indicate a specific relation between the two clauses; however, use this sparingly. You can use a coordinating conjunction following the comma, and this also will indicate a relationship.
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