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Writing Skills

Brush up on your grammar and punctuation skills to polish your final drafts.

Comma Splice

A comma splice occurs when two complete sentences are joined by a comma, and there is no conjunction present.

  • INCORRECT: I'm taking a ride with my best friend, I hope he never lets me down again.

A comma splice can be corrected with: a period; a semicolon; a conjunction; or a semicolon and a transitional word.

  • CORRECT: I'm taking a ride with my best friend.  I hope he never lets me down again.
  • CORRECT: I'm taking a ride with my best friend; I hope he never lets me down again.
  • CORRECT: I'm taking a ride with my best friend, and I hope he never lets me down again. 

Avoiding Comma Splices

A period between two complete sentences.

  • INCORRECT:  My lease ends in September, I'll need to renew it soon.
  • CORRECT: My lease ends in September. I'll need to renew it soon.

A semicolon between two complete sentences.

  • INCORRECT:  My lease ends in September, I'll need to renew it soon.
  • CORRECT: My lease ends in September; I'll need to renew it soon.

A conjunction.

  • INCORRECT:  My lease ends in September, I'll need to renew it soon.
  • CORRECT: My lease ends in September so I'll need to renew it soon.

A semicolon and a transitional word followed by a comma.

  • INCORRECT:  My lease ends in September, I'll need to renew it soon.
  • CORRECT: My lease ends in September; therefore, I'll need to renew it soon.
  • CORRECT: My lease ends in September. Therefore, I'll need to renew it soon.