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Untitled Document
Test Yourself
Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
[Harbrace 3, 17a - 17b, & 18a]
- Introduction: Comma Splices and Fused
Sentences
- Revising Comma Splices and Fused Sentences
INTRODUCTION
An independent (main) clause has a subject and
a predicate and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
When two independent clauses are run together without a
conjunction or proper punctuation, the error is called a fused (or run-on) sentence.
Fencing is new on campus the coach is still recruiting a
team.
When two independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined
only by a comma, the error is called a comma splice.
Fencing is new on campus, the coach is still recruiting a
team.
Revising Comma Splices and Fused
Sentences
These problems can be corrected in one of four basic ways:
- Join the two clauses with a co-ordinating conjunction or with
a comma followed by a co-ordinating conjunction (and, or, but, yet,
for, nor, so). [Harbrace 3a & 17a]
Fencing is new on campus, and the coach is still
recruiting a team.
Use the co-ordinating conjunction to join closely related
clauses.
- Separate the two clauses with a period and capitalize the next
word. [Harbrace 3]
Fencing is new on campus. The coach is still
recruiting a team.
Use the period to form two separate sentences when the
clauses are not closely related and will not sound choppy when separated.
- Join the two clauses with a semicolon. [Harbrace 3b
& 18a]
Fencing is new on campus; the coach is still
recruiting a team.
Use the semicolon when the clauses are equally important and
closely related.
- Join the two clauses by using a subordinating conjunction (because,
although, since, until, unless, while), thus making one
clause dependent. [Harbrace 3 & 17b]
Because fencing is new on
campus, the coach is still recruiting a team.
Use a subordinating conjunction when one clause is less
important than the other.
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