THE READING / WRITING CONNECTION: AN ONLINE READING AND WRITING LAB

WRITING TUTORIALS: Comma Splices


     A. comma splice occurs when two sentences which are part of the same picture are put together with a comma rather than a  semicolon. Each sentence in this case is an independent clause, which means that it has all of the necessary constituent parts of a sentence.

    There are two ways to correct a comma splice. One way is to use a semicolon; another way is to use a period--followed by a capital letter--to correct this problem.
 


In the following sentences, either correct the problem with the comma splices using the previously mentioned  devices, or select "C" in the brackets if the sentence is correct,

1. Apple was struggling, IBM continued to grow. (C)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Rap took over popular music, and it spread to Europe and Japan. (C)
____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Three thousand students applied, twelve hundred were turned away. (C)
____________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Some doctors inform their patients, others keep them in the dark. (C)
____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Doctors are wary of miracle drugs, they may have side effects. (C)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Metanoia is out of the question, he sees no need for a spiritual conversion. (C)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

7. The lover feels that, for the moment at least, that she is his, he notices his heart swelling with joyful surprise.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________(C)

8. The parking problem is not a problem, it is a disaster. (C)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

9. It rained heavily during the afternoon, yet we managed to have our picnic anyway. (C)
_________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Students no longer park here, they park in the garage. (C)
________________________________________________________________________________________

11. The meeting was cancelled, because the insurance was prohibitive. (C)
_________________________________________________________________________________________

If you want the answers, just click on Answer Sheet.

For more information, click onto the Comma Rules.