Comma Splices


Comma splices are one of the most common sentence-level errors among intro college writers. Is this you? Maybe! Don’t worry: it’s totally fixable.

Comma splices happen when you have two INDEPENDENT clauses that you want to put into one sentence. You can do that, but you have to do it carefully. When all you do is smack a comma between them, nope, that’s not gonna work.

Commas are fantastic! The things they are best at are:

  1. Separating items in a list, like this:
    • I forgot my homework, my raincoat, my lunch, and my .
  2. Separating DEPENDENT clauses from independent ones, like this:
    • Because the house was on fire, I decided not to go back for my homework. [The stuff before the comma is a dependent clause; the stuff after is an independent clause.]
  3. Going BEFORE A CONJUNCTION when you use a conjunction to separate two independent clauses, like this:
    • The house was on fire, so I decided not to go back for my homework. [So is a conjunction here, linking two independent clauses.]
  4. Otherwise setting off phrases, especially non-restrictive phrases and appositives, like this:
    • My homework, which the dog did not eat, is unfortunately unavailable at this time.

Lots more about commas here.

What you CAN’T do with commas is connect two independent clauses. I made a ridiculous video about this during quarantine, starring the picture of Alexander Hamilton my friends have on their wall for unclear reasons. You can watch it here:

…or, if you are opposed to false mustaches, you can read this post on Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma-splice/

The bottom line is this:

  1. A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb.
  2. An independent clause is a clause that can be its own sentence, like “The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm” or “The crocodiles are angry.”
  3. A clause that CAN’T be its own sentence is a dependent clause. Like, “because I once cried my eyes out over The Good Fight season ending.” See how that feels unfinished?

OKAY. So a comma splice happens when you join two independent clauses with a comma, like this:

The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm, the crocodiles are angry.

Yeah, no. Don’t do that.

Fix it one of these ways:

  • Make two separate sentences:
    • The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm. The crocodiles are angry.
  • Separate the clauses with a colon or semicolon. (These have slightly different uses. More on that here and here.)
    • The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm; the crocodiles are angry.
    • The crocodiles are angry: The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm.
  • Join them with a conjunction:
    • The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm, and the crocodiles are angry.
  • Make one a dependent clause (and keep the comma!)
    • Because The Great British Bake Off has lost its charm, the crocodiles are angry.
 JOINED TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES WITH A SEMICOLON; DIDN'T MAKE A COMMA SPLICE | image tagged in fist bump baby | made w/ Imgflip meme maker

Did you read this far? WOW.

In the comments, please write an example of a comma splice and an example of how to fix it.

Andy Dwyer - Too Afraid To Ask meme

Still lost? Try this Khan Academy video:

Argument/Analysis Video

Please watch this video — count the “ums” if you like! Aren’t you glad I’m not your speech teacher?

Afterwards:

  1. post an example in the comments of an argument and an example of a statement. But don’t say which is which!
  2. Comment on someone else’s post, identifying the argument versus the statement that they have made.

Terms & Ideas Video

I made this video to explain the Terms & Ideas assignment to a previous semester’s class (which is why I keep saying “discussion forum” instead of “blog post.”) I’d like to work with you this semester to develop a more collaborative version of this assignment, for example building a glossary and guide to each reading together, creating one document that is useful to the whole class. And we will do that! This week, you will do a more traditionally version of the assignment, but you will submit your work as comments on the posts for the two essays you are reading, so that the group as a whole benefits from your work. If you are doing this assignment later in the week, take a look at what your classmates have already posted! Ask what you can do to add to the project — in other words, rather than defining a word that has already been defined, choose a different one.

Guidelines for this kind of response:

Guidelines for this kind of response:

  • Read the article (or essay or poem) first. Take note of things you need to look up. Look them up. Check that you are using a definition that makes sense.
  • Mark sections of the text that introduce interesting ideas. This is much easier to do if you are reading on paper! If you are reading on-screen, write notes in a notebook. I know, it’s easier not to, but you will really, really wish you had done this when it is time to write a paper on this topic. Plus it makes you smarter.
  • In you reply, list at least 3 terms you looked up. This can mean just looking a word up in the dictionary — such as “tabernacle,” in the James Baldwin — or looking up a broader concept — such as “Congo Square” in wikipedia or similar. (Yes, wikipedia is fine for this purpose.) PROVIDE A SOURCE FOR YOUR DEFINITION. If you copy it word for word — which is fine for this assignment — PUT IT IN QUOTATION MARKS. You don’t need to use full MLA format for this assignment, though you are welcome to. A URL in parentheses or a link is fine. But get in the habit of giving credit to your sources.
  • Next, write 1-3 paragraphs about an idea in the text you think is worth further examination.
  • PS, you can read the bell hooks essay I mentioned here.

    After you read this essay, post a reply using the “terms and ideas” model. Watch the Terms and Ideas” video and read more about that model here.

    A reminder on the form:

    1. Read the article (or essay or poem) first. Take note of things you need to look up. Look them up. Check that you are using a definition that makes sense.
    2. Mark sections of the text that introduce interesting ideas. This is much easier to do if you are reading on paper! If you are reading on-screen, write notes in a notebook. I know, it’s easier not to, but you will really, really wish you had done this when it is time to write a paper on this topic. Plus it makes you smarter.
    3. In you reply, list at least 3 terms you looked up. This can mean just looking a word up in the dictionary — such as “tabernacle,” in the James Baldwin — or looking up a broader concept — such as “Congo Square” in wikipedia or similar. (Yes, wikipedia is fine for this purpose.)
    4. PROVIDE A SOURCE FOR YOUR DEFINITION. If you copy it word for word — which is fine for this assignment — PUT IT IN QUOTATION MARKS. You don’t need to use full MLA format for this assignment, though you are welcome to. A URL in parentheses or a link is fine. But get in the habit of giving credit to your sources.
    5. Next, write 1-3 paragraphs about an idea in the text you think is worth further examination.
    6. After making your reply, return to the post and comment on 2-3 of your classmates’ replies. You may learn something! There are a lot of smart people around here.

    Fire

    Fire, by Judy Brown

    Fire

    What makes a fire burn

    is space between the logs,

    a breathing space.

    Too much of a good thing,

    too many logs

    packed in too tight

    can douse the flames

    almost as surely

    as a pail of water would.

    So building fires

    requires attention

    to the spaces in between,

    as much as to the wood.

    When we are able to build

    open spaces

    in the same way

    we have learned

    to pile on the logs,

    then we can come to see how

    it is fuel, and absence of the fuel

    together, that make fire possible

    We only need to lay a log

    lightly from time to time.

    A fire

    grows

    simply because the space is there,

    with openings

    in which the flame

    that knows just how it wants to burn

    can find its way.

    On Plagiarism

    I HATE IT. DON’T DO IT.

    Ahem. Sometimes students plagiarize by accident, though.

    Watch these videos and comment below that you have watched them and understand. Or, if you don’t understand, please post a question! Everyone will benefit.

    To show me that you’ve read this whole post, please also suggest a punishment for people who just straight-up copy — that is to say, steal — other people’s writing. Is it too much to hope that we can put good old fashioned stocks out in front of the main building? Kidding, sort of.

    Night Spider’s Advice

    by Joyce Sidman, from her book of night poems, Dark Emperor

    Build a frame
    and stick to it,
    I always say.
    Life’s a circle.
    Just keep going around.
    Do your work, then
    sit back and see
    what falls in your lap.
    Eat your triumphs,
    eat your mistakes:
    that way your belly
    will always be full.
    Use what you have.
    Rest when you need to.
    Dawn will come soon enough.
    Someone has to remake
    the world each night.
    It might as well be you.

    Photo credit Andy Langager

    As we discussed in class:
    Please post a comment explaining your favorite part of the poem and what you like about it. Read your classmates’ posts and comment on at least 2-3 of them before class next Thursday.