Want to know how to avoid angering every teacher and examiner by unintentionally using a comma splice? This top tip will improve your essay writing immeasurably!
Very few people have heard of a comma splice, yet a vast majority of people unintentionally end up using them! As a private tutor myself, I see it constantly, and it’s a particular pet peeve of mine: it makes your writing sound clunky and unsophisticated.
Not to worry, however. This article will give a detailed breakdown on what exactly are comma splices and how best to avoid them. Following these tips will boost your essay writing skills immensely.
This article is all about comma splices, every teacher’s pet peeve!
How to Avoid the Comma Splice
What is a comma splice?
A comma splice is essentially the mistake of using a comma where there should be a full stop: that is, between two main clauses. A main clause is part of a sentence that makes sense on its own, in contrast to subordinate clauses, which do not. Here’s an example of what I mean:
Andrew dashed to the shop before he went to work.
Note how the main clause makes sense by itself – read the red section out loud if you are unsure. Reading the subordinate clause (blue) by itself, however, doesn’t make quite as much sense!
So a comma splice is two lots of red main clauses separated by a comma. Here are some examples of this:
We went to the shop, we bought cheese.
I like pasta, I hate pizza.
Hurry up, we are going to be late!
Try reading each half of the sentence out loud (so, “We went to the shop.”) Does it make sense by itself? Yes, they all do, which makes them all examples of the comma splice.
How should you replace a comma splice?
Luckily, however, comma splices are very easy to replace. You essentially have three options, and here is an example of each.
The full stop
We went to the shop. We bought cheese.
This solution is the easiest, but also the most boring! It works well when you are trying to be clear and concise – so it’s good in essays.
The semicolon
I like pasta; I hate pizza.
This solution is particularly effective when there is an element of comparison – so here, the comparison is between ‘like’ and ‘hate’, as well as between ‘pasta’ and ‘pizza’.
The conjunction
( + comma)
Hurry up or we are going to be late!
Sometimes you need a comma, for example if your conjunction is ‘whereas’ or ‘whilst’, but often you can simply replace your comma with ‘and’, ‘or’ or ‘but’.
The most common comma splice mistake
This grammar error is one that causes your essays to feel clunky and unsophisticated, and it will undoubtedly lose you marks for lack of clarity. Here’s are a few examples:
Dr Jekyll is presented as intelligent, however Mr Hyde is presented as idiotic.
Hitler was furious at Germany’s defeat in World War I, therefore he had a personal desire for renewed conflict.
Almost every student I have taught and essay I have marked has displayed this issue, which is a fundamental misunderstanding of the words ‘therefore’ and ‘however’! Here’s how you could correct these issues to improve the clarity and sophistication of your writing.
Dr Jekyll is presented as intelligent; Mr Hyde, however, is presented as idiotic.
Hitler was furious at Germany’s defeat. He therefore had a personal desire for renewed conflict.
As you can see, I have replaed each comma splice with a semicolon or full stop to improve clarity. I have avoided using the conjunction method as the sentences are already long enough as it is! The other thing I have changed is moving ‘therefore’ and ‘however’ to the second position in the phrase rather than the first. This makes you sound much less formulaic and much more like you know what you’re talking about.
Right, I think that was just about everything anyone would ever desire to know about comma splices! Incoporate these top tips into your essay writing and your marks will improve immeasurably.
This article was all about comma splices.
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