Consistent, conventional punctuation helps readers follow the flow of writing with a minimum of misreadings, false starts, and sheer bewilderment. Because it is based on convention rather than on linguistic necessity, punctuation is sometimes treated as an arbitrary and artificial construct of ignorant or officious rule enforcers—"fake grammar," as it were. But in orthography, as in other spheres of human activity, convention is a powerful force for coherence and shared meaning.
Viewed in isolation, the convention against comma splices may seem unnecessary and ultimately unjustified. After all,. But when the wording appears in a larger context, issues of interrupted narrative flow and misdirection become apparent. For example:. I know that some people have fond memories of spending most of their waking life in childhood attending school, they recall the joy of learning, the camaraderie with fellow students, and the opportunity to explore creative tasks, I never liked school, it was boring and repetitive most of the time.
The only unconventional aspect of this block of text is its rejection of the convention against comma splices. Three sentences become one; and because the text is punctuated as a single continuous sentence with two internal comma splices, the word they —which would start a new sentence if the text were punctuated conventionally—is not initial-capped. The comma splices damage the flow of the text and force readers to feel their way carefully through the text to make sure that they haven't run through an ambiguous stop sign and misread the sense of the clause that follows each comma.
The conventional rule against comma splices thus promotes a valuable purpose in limiting the province of things that a comma which in any event may perform a multitude of functions in writing can properly signal. By insisting that colons, semicolons, and periods—but not commas—should play the role of indicating abrupt breaks in written text at the end of complete clauses, the convention frees readers from having to include "hard break signal" among the possible meanings of any particular comma they encounter.
Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Why is the comma splice an error? My computer is making funny noises.
I should probably take it in to get fixed. My computer is making funny noises; I should probably take it in to be fixed. Tuesday is supposed to be rainy, I better take my umbrella. Tuesday is supposed to be rainy, so I better take my umbrella. Our veterinarian says our cat is fat, he needs to go on a diet.
Our veterinarian says our cat is fat, and he needs to go on a diet. Spring starts in March, I know baseball season is right around the corner. When Spring starts in March, I know baseball season is right around the corner. She had big plans for Saturday night. I just finished doing the laundry, all my clothes are fresh and clean.
I just finished doing the laundry; all my clothes are fresh and clean. Comma Splice Question 1. Independent clauses. Incomplete thoughts. Dependent clauses. That's incorrect. Comma Splices Question 2. Comma splices lead to run-on sentences. Independent clauses can stand alone. Comma splices improve readability. All of the above. Comma Splice Question 3. Bruce is a genius, but he has a temper.
Micky bought a new car, it was a Toyota. You win at grammar. How to Fix a Comma Splice Instead, use a coordinating conjunction and, but, as, or, etc. Want to improve your grammar? Check out our free email tutorial, Good Grammar Click here to get a preview of the grammar tutorial.
Liz Bureman. Liz Bureman has a more-than-healthy interest in proper grammatical structure, accurate spelling, and the underappreciated semicolon. When she's not diagramming sentences and reading blogs about how terribly written the Twilight series is, she edits for the Write Practice, causes trouble in Denver, and plays guitar very slowly and poorly. In traditional grammar , the term comma splice refers to two independent clauses separated by a comma instead of a period or semicolon.
Comma splices, also known as comma faults, are often regarded as errors, especially if they're likely to confuse or distract readers. However, comma splices may be used deliberately to emphasize the relationship between two short parallel clauses or to create a rhetorical effect of speed, excitement, or informality, though the result is almost always a run-on sentence.
The easiest way to fix this type of error is to substitute a period or semicolon for the comma, though a process of coordination and subordination may also be used to make the sentence grammatically correct. One of the most important rules English writers learn early on in studying grammar is that a writer must understand the rules of usage in order to break them effectively.
That's the beauty of the English language: versatility. White say that a comma splice is "preferable [to a semicolon] when the clauses are very short and alike in form, or when the tone of the sentence is easy and conversational.
Built-in spelling and grammar checking services on popular word editing software like Microsoft Word even misses some comma splices because of the versatility of the comma's usage and the frequency and eloquence of effective comma splice use in literature and professional writing. In advertising and journalism, a comma splice can be used for dramatic or stylistic effect or to emphasize a contrast between different ideas. Ann Raimes and Susan K.
Miller-Cochran describe this usage choice in "Keys for Writers," wherein they advise writers to "take this stylistic risk only if you are sure of the effect you want to achieve. The most difficult part of correcting comma splices is actually identifying the error in the first place, wherein the writer must determine if the clauses can stand alone or if they belong together.
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