Comma Splice

Comma Splicing Definition
A comma splice is known as a grammatical error or misuse of commas. Occurs in a sentence when an author incorrectly inserts a comma between two main (independent) clauses to separate them. Two main clauses can be joined with a comma or a conjunction. For example, in the example "The air was soggy, the season was sold out" (Hub Fans Bid The Kid Adieu, by John Updike), the sentence can be corrected using a period or the conjunction "and" To separate the two independent clauses .

Common examples of comma splicing
1 My mother and sister bake almost every night, then we enjoy eating together

Correction: My mother and sister bake almost every night. Then we enjoy eating together. the sentence in two.

2. I liked the novel, it was very informative.

Correction: I liked the novel because it was very informative.

The sentence is corrected by using the sub-conjunction “because” which connects the sentence and makes its meaning easier to understand.

3. My favorite dishes are all chicken related, chicken is a good source of protein.

Correction: My favorite dishes are all related to chicken. Chickens are a good source of protein.

In this sentence, the comma splice is corrected by adding a period between two independent clauses.

4 Cat leaves paw prints on the salon floor. Emma becomes tense.

Correction 1: The cat leaves paw prints on the salon floor and Emma is tensed.

Correction 2: The cat leaves paw prints on the salon floor; Emma becomes tense.

These types of sentences are corrected with either a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon after the first sentence.

5.Farah wore a black dress.Maria wore a white one.

Correction 1: Farah wore a black dress; Maria wore a white.

Correction 2: Farah wore a black dress, but Maria wore a white.

These sentences are corrected by using a semicolon or a coordinating conjunction “but” with a comma.

Examples of comma splicing in literature
Example # 1: Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)
Hamlet: “The adventurous knight will use his foil and his aim, the lover will not sigh for free, the humorous man will finish his role in peace, the clown will do those he laughs whose lungs tickle his lungs ... "

In these lines, Hamlet has used a series of comma splices, which can be corrected by using a semicolon after the first clause, and the coordinating conjunction" and " between the third and final clause.

Example # 2: A report in the spring (by E.White)
"By day the goldfinches are immersed in a yellow light, at night the frogs sing the song that never loses favor."

This example also has a comma splice that needs fixing. Simply by using the coordinating conjunction "and" or a semicolon, the comma splice can be corrected.

Example # 3: To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)
"He was middle-aged then, she was fifteen years his junior ... Radleys welcome anytime In town, reserved for themselves, unforgivable predilection in Maycomb. ”

In this sentence, the comma splice can be replaced with a coordinating conjunction“ and. ”There are too many commas in the second sentence. The correct sentence would be if the comma splice in the second underlined clause is replace with a semicolon

Example # 4: A Vote for This Age of Anxiety (by Margret Mead)
This is what we have come with with all our vaunted progress, our great technological advances, our great wealth; we all carry a burden anxiety so enormous that, in the end, our stomachs and our arteries and our skin express the tension under which we live.…

In this extract, after the first underlined clause, the comma junction can be to remove by adding a semicolon, because all the clauses are interrelated.

Example no. 5: Goodnight, old Daisy (by John Wain)
“Then he finished straight and took a long, calm look out the window, first on the platform side, then on the outside side ... His mind was already back in his office, looking at the balance sheets ... ”

In the first underlined clause, the coordinating conjunction“ and ”should be added, while a semicolon can replace the comma splice in the second underlined clause.


function in sentences, as they are incorrectly attached to independent clauses. Writers only use them to connect independent long clauses within a sentence. They should avoid using them and use periods, conjunctions, or semicolons instead. However, it is sometimes necessary to use a Comma Splice to show the character's linguistic ability, or her specific speaking pattern. Since each independent clause conveys a complete idea, and executing two complete ideas or thoughts can blur the idea, it is considered a grammatical error.
Collective Noun Common Noun