Comma splice

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A comma splice is a punctuation error in which a comma with no conjunction joins two independent clauses. For example:

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Simply removing the comma does not correct the error, but results in a run-on sentence. There are several acceptable ways to correct this:

• Change the comma to a semicolon:

It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.

• Write the two clauses as two separate sentences:

It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

• Insert a coordinating conjunction following the comma:

It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark.

It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

• Make one clause dependent on the other:

As it is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Comma splices are sometimes acceptable when the clauses are short and alike in form, such as:

The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up.

(Examples adapted from the online 1918 edition of The Elements of Style.)

[edit] External links

• Rules governing comma usage
• The Elements of Style: full text of Strunk's 1918 edition