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A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by a comma with no conjunction. For example:

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

It is usually considered an error in both British and American English. It is condemned in The Elements of Style.

Simply removing the comma does not correct the error, but results in a run-on sentence. There are several acceptable ways to correct this:

• Change the comma to a semicolon:

It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.

• Write the two clauses as two separate sentences:

It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

• Insert a coordinating conjunction following the comma:

It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark.

It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

• Make one clause dependent on the other:

As it is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

Comma splices are sometimes acceptable when the clauses are short and alike in form, such as:

The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up.

(Examples adapted from the online 1918 edition of The Elements of Style.)

External links

• Rules governing comma usage
• The Elements of Style: full text of Strunk's 1918 edition

References

1. "Do not join independent clauses by a comma". The Elements of Style (1st Edition ed.). 1918. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)

• Punctuation
• English grammar