Comma Splices

by Stephen Gold

When you join two independent clauses with a comma, you confuse the reader by leading him to expect something other than a pair of complete thoughts.

Note that this is a punctuation issue only, so even in informal/colloquial dialog you should get it right.

This lesson has three parts:

recognizing whether each clause is independent or dependent
recognizing when a comma is sufficient and when you need something more
deciding how to fix the problem

Clauses

A complete sentence is made up of one or more clauses.

A clause is a connected series of words. A clause must include a verb. The clause must also include the subject of that verb (unless it is an instruction to the reader or listener, in which case the subject "you" is often omitted).

A clause may include multiple subjects and verbs as long they are linked together into a single thought, with the subjects at one end (usually the beginning) and the verbs at the other. Words and phrases that modify the subject or verb (or which are objects of the verb) are considered part of the clause, as are words and phrases that modify such words and phrases. A clause never begins with a conjunction: one of the words "and," "or," "but," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet."

There are two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent. Here are some examples of independent clauses:

1. a flock of novices in gray tunics / streamed into the dormitory
2. Shu and Risa / turned into the vestibule of Tanita’s palace
3. Shuwari / quickly excused herself and left Midrisas with the ancillas
4. cheer up
5. the men and women / raised their glasses and drank a hearty toast to the author

Here are some examples of dependent clauses:

6. before she / was old enough to know
7. since Tanita / was not merely a kind, old lady

Notice examples 1-7 meet all the requirements for a clause.

Here are some phrases that are not clauses at all:

8. the boys and girls
9. into the dormitory
10. eating his words

Here is an example of a conjunction followed by a clause:

11. but I / would not forget her

Here are two sentences made up of two clauses each:

12. He looked me in the eye, and I shot him in cold blood.
13. She was old enough to know that Tanita was not merely a kind, old lady.

Notice how examples 8-13 do not meet the requirements for a single clause. The phrases lack a subject or a verb; in the sentences, each subject is linked to a different verb.

How do the dependent and independent clauses differ? A dependent clause can stand on its own, without any context. Study examples 1-5 again.

Every complete sentence includes at least one independent clause. In independent clause cannot stand alone, it only makes sense in the context of the independent clause it modifies or serves as the object for. Usually you can turn a dependent clause into an independent clause by simply removing the leading word. Study examples 6-7 again.

When Is A Comma Sufficient?

A comma is considered sufficient between two independent clauses only if the clauses are connected by a conjunction: one of the words "and," "or," "but," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet." See example #12 above.

Strunk and White say it is also okay to use a comma if the two clauses are very short and alike, and the tone is conversational. Their examples include:

14. Man proposes, God disposes.

I believe that if a sentence consists of three or more independent clauses, you can use commas between them (even without a conjunction) but I don’t see this in any of the manuals. My example:

15. I read him the book, he listened, and we went off to bed.

Fixing the Problem

I can think of four basic ways to fix a comma splice:

If the clauses are very closely connected and you don’t want to break the flow, the best thing might be to add a conjunction such as "and."

(splice)  Government was not big in the minds of most guys, I was no exception.
(fix)     Government was not big in the minds of most guys, and I was no exception.

If the clauses are closely connected and you only want to break the flow a little, the best punctuation might be a semicolon:

(comma splice) I’ve never seen anything like it, he has to shut them up.
(fix)          I’ve never seen anything like it; he has to shut them up.

If the connection is weak, or you want to break the flow, use a period or full stop:

(comma splice) Terror spilled through her, she wanted to rip herself free.
(fix)          Terror spilled through her.  She wanted to rip herself free.

A special case solution, when the subject of both clauses is the same, is to merge them into a single clause with two verbs:

(comma splice) Smeagol saw the Precious, he wanted it for his very own.
(fix)          Smeagol saw the Precious and wanted it for his very own.

Reference

Strunk, William & White, E.B. (2000). The Elements of Style (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.