Assignment:
Comma Splices: How To Fix Them.
Students often receive papers back with marginal comments from their teachers, and one of the most common errors of punctuation (and grammar, in a way) that is flagged in this way is the comma splice. What are comma splices? What causes them? How can they be fixed?
Comma Splices
The error itself is a punctuation problem with an underlying misunderstanding about sentence structure.
Example: The imposing volume sat on the library table, it was opened to page 4.
The error was caused by joining two independent clauses with a comma.
Independent clause #1: the imposing volume sat on the library table
Independent clause #2: it was opened to page 4.
The fixes are varied, depending on the meaning the writer wishes to convey.
If the two clauses represent somewhat separate but clearly related ideas, the best choice is to separate them with a semi-colon.
Example: The imposing volume sat on the library table; it was opened to page 4.
If the ideas are really quite separate but merely sequential, it might be wise to make them into two separate sentences that begin with capitals and are separated from each other by a period.
Example: The imposing volume sat on the library table. A stack of bound periodicals was piled on the next table over.
If the sentences are, in fact, independent ideas that have a relationship because they happened together, in contrast to each other, or instead or each other, the write may choose to join the two clauses by adding the coordinating conjunction (and, but, or) that is appropriate to the meaning of the relationship. The conjunction is added after the comma.
Example #1: The imposing volume sat on the library table, and Mary's notebook lay open next to it for recording the information.
Example #2: The imposing volume sat on the library table, but nobody was using it anymore.
Example #3: The imposing volume still sat on the library table, or it had already been reshelved by then.
The fix may also involve showing a relationship between the clauses that involves changing one of them from an independent clause into a dependent clause and adding a subordinate conjunction of the appropriate meaning (because, when, until, unless, although, if, etc.)
Example #1: The imposing volume was still sitting on the library table because John had left it there.
Example #2: The imposing volume was still sitting on the library table when the librarian closed up for the night.
Example #3: The imposing volume sat on the library table until I picked it up and put it in my book bag.
Example #4: The imposing volume will still be sitting on the library table unless someone comes to put it away.
Example #5: The imposing volume sat on the library table although it should have been at the reference desk.
Example #6: If the imposing volume is sitting on the library table, you will be able to locate my lost pen lying next to it.
The problem may also be that the writer isn't clear about the difference between independent and dependent clauses.
Independent clauses have a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a separate simple sentence. The subject is the person, place, or thing that does something in the clause. The verb is what is being done or the state of being in the clause. The clause may be quite short, or it may be long and filled with various modifying phrases. Two or more clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions to form compound sentences.
Example #1: Birds sing, but spiders spin their silken webs in the dawn mist.
Example #2: The name of the first president of the United States is George Washington, an extremely famous name in American history classes all over the country, and he will always be remembered for his honesty.
The subject, the verb, or even the object or verb complement of the clause may be compound.
Example #1: Jordana, her very best friend from high school, and my cousin Louise went to the movies together last Saturday night at the downtown cinema, and they ate popcorn, watched the movie, giggled, and tickled each other during the show.
Example #2: We skied all afternoon long, took a hike on snowshoes up the snowiest area in the forest, consumed a fantastic dinner of roast beef, mashed, potatoes, and vegetables at the lodge in the evening, and sat around the fireplace until midnight laughing and drinking hot chocolate, but we still managed to get enough sleep before the next morning.
Example #3: She added ketchup, salt, pepper, and mustard to the barbeque sauce, and her mother suggested apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, and molasses as well.
Example #4: George was sensitive, kind, and understanding to a fault, but his brother felt neglected, overshadowed, and resentful about him all the same.
On the other hand, dependent clauses cannot stand alone. They have a subject and a verb, but they are preceded by a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun (who, which, that, what, etc.), and they depend on the independent clause to which they are joined. Sentences that contain one or more independent clauses joined to one or more dependent clauses are called complex sentences.
Example #1: When I was very young and lived in London, we always sat in the top deck of the big red bus.
Example #2: My friends, family, and colleagues were all hiding in the living room to surprise me when I arrived home the night of my birthday.
Example #3: We knew quite well that she would be late to the dance because she always had trouble getting her car started.
Example #4: What you wanted to tell me can wait until later this week, can't it?