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comma splice

Joining two independent clauses with only a comma, which isn't strong enough for the job.

A comma splice occurs when a comma alone joins two independent clauses. A comma is too light a mark to glue two complete sentences together by itself; the fix is a period, a semicolon, a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, or a semicolon plus a conjunctive adverb.

Examples

  • The old clock looked ancient, it had a cracked stone face.

See also

independent clause run-on sentence fixing a fragment, run-on, or comma splice
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