EXAMPLES OF COMMA SPLICE ERRORS:

1.     Dance has been a huge part of my life, it has not only taught me how to dance but it has also educated me how to maintain the balance of my mind and body.

2.     Having a professional dancer tell you that you were wonderful was an amazing feeling, it was not like my regular dance teacher telling me I performed well.

3.     April doesn't let things like that stand in her way, she just continued on with her life like it was nothing

4.     April is a very intelligent young lady, she has a lot to offer this world.

(Found on webct in Jamie Lewis's paper)

OFFICIAL RULE FROM THE BEDFORD HANDBOOK:

"A far more common type of run-on sentence is the comma splice-two or more independent clauses joined by a comma without a coordination conjunction.  In some comma splices the comma appears alone" (Page: 296).

"In other comma splice, the comma is accompanied by a joining word that is not a coordinating conjunction"  (Page: 296-97).There are only seven coordinating conjunctions in English:  FAN BOYS

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

(Source: Hacker,Diana.  The Bedford Handbook, 1998. Fifth Edition. Boston, MA: St. Martin’s, 1998.)

TRANSLATION:

Coordination draws attention equally to two or more ideas.  To coordinate independent clauses word groups that could stand alone as a sentence.  Join them with a comma and a coordinating conjunction or with a semi-colon.  When a coordinating conjunction appears (see examples above) place a comma with it. 

CORRECTIONS OF EXAMPLES:           

Incorrect: Dance has been a huge part of my life, it has not only taught me how to dance but it has also educated me how to maintain the balance of my mind and body.

Correction: Dance has been a huge part of my life; it has not only taught me how to dance but it has also educated me how to maintain the balance of my mind and body.

Incorrect: Having a professional dancer tell you that you were wonderful was an amazing feeling, it was not like my regular dance teacher telling me I performed well.

Correction: Having a professional dancer tell you that you were wonderful was an amazing feeling.  It was not like my regular dance teacher telling me I performed well.

Incorrect: April doesn't let things like that stand in her way, she just continued on with her life like it was nothing.

Correction: April doesn't let things like that stand in her way.  She just continued on with her life like it was nothing.

Incorrect: April is a very intelligent young lady, she has a lot to offer this world. 

            Correction: April is a very intelligent young lady. She has a lot to offer this world.

HOW TO FIND AND FIX COMMA SPLICES:

1.     Look for long sentence with a random comma placed.

2.     Look for colliding sentences.

3.     A comma must separate items in a series (3 or more).

4.     Read out loud parts of the sentence.

5.     Search on computer.

6.     Use F1 key to search for .

7.     Peer evaluation, more than once.

8.     Use your local writing center at school.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: