Comma Splicing

😢 Comma Splicing

Have you ever proofread your carefully written text and found comma splicing? This is a very common error, but it is something that can be easily resolved.

Sometimes a comma is used to join two main clauses in a sentence, but this is an error called a comma splice. Another example of comma splicing is when clauses containing adverbs or adverbials (e.g. as a result, nevertheless, therefore) are linked with a comma.

Examples of comma splicing:

😢 I enjoy reading very much, I go to the library every Saturday.

😢 She had revised for weeks, nevertheless she still felt nervous before the exam.

Correct the comma splice by:
♦ add a coordinating conjunction (e.g. and, but, or, yet, so) after the comma
♦ replacing it with a semi-colon
♦ replacing it with a colon
♦ splitting the sentence into two separate sentences.

If we corrected the sentences above, they might look like this:

😀 I enjoy reading very much, and go to the library every Saturday.

😀 She had revised for weeks; nevertheless she still felt nervous before the exam.

I hope this post has helped you to understand comma splicing.