Comma splice errors are very common mistakes, but they can be easily avoided. How? First, anytime you use a comma in your writing, you should be ask yourself, "Why?" In other words, think about why you are using that comma. What is the rule for its usage? Second, if you are editing or reviewing your writing, look for commas found in the middle of a sentence. When you find one, review the sentence carefully to see if you have an independent (or main) clause on either side of the comma. If you have an independent clause on both sides, and you do not have a conjunction joining them (like: and, but, or, nor, for,so), then you have yourself a genuine comma slice error. It may look like this: I went to the store this morning, I bought some milk. A careful review of the sentence above should result in the conclusion that there are two independent clauses presented, one on either side of the comma. This is a comma splice error. To read more about comma splice errors, click here. To practice identifying comma splice errors, click on the links below. Comma Splice Practice #1 Comma Splice Practice #2 Comma Splice Practice #3 [The excerpt below is from Grammarly.com. Click on the link at the end to read more on this topic.] "What is a run-on sentence? Run-on sentences, also known as fused sentences, occur when two complete sentences are squashed together without using a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation, such as a period or a semicolon. Run-on sentences can be short or long. A long sentence isn’t necessarily a run-on sentence. " To continue learning more about this topic and how to make corrections, click on the following link: RUN-ON SENTENCES To practice finding and identifying run-on sentences in your writing, click on these links: [The excerpt below is taken from towson.edu. It was written by Margaret L. Benner. To read more about the topic, click the link at the bottom.] Although you are probably already familiar with basic subject-verb agreement, this chapter begins with a quick review of basic agreement rules. Subjects and verbs must AGREE with one another in number (singular or plural). Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is plural, its verb must also be plural. In the present tense, nouns and verbs form plurals in opposite ways: nouns ADD an s to the singular form; verbs REMOVE the s from the singular form. To read more and to practice, click on the link below: SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT [This excerpt comes from www.pitt.edu (see link below)] First, the bad news. . . There are billions of sentences out there that we might have to understand. Next, the good news. . . All sentences fall into just four categories. They are: Simple Sentence Compound Sentence Complex Sentence Compound-Complex sentence To read more about these four types of sentences click on this link: SENTENCE TYPES. To practice identifying the different types of sentences, click on the links below: Practice 1 Practice 2 Practice 3 What is a fragment and why do I need to fix them? A fragment is like a train without an engine. It may look kind of pretty just sitting there, but it doesn't work, and it won't take your reader anywhere. It will only frustrate him. For example, if I walked into the room and said to you, "When I woke up this morning..." You'd say, "So, what happened?" And if I didn't tell you more, you'd be probably be somewhat frustrated with me. Fragments are incomplete thoughts. To read more about Fragments and how to fix them, click the following links: "Matching up singular or plural subjects with singular or plural forms of a verb is part of the process called agreement. This is easy in simple sentences: He admits that he is worried. [singular subject and verb] They admit that they are worried. [plural subject and verb] But there are some cases where the grammar is not so straightforward." To read more about subject verb agreement from Oxford Dictionaries.com click here. Want to improve your writing? Well, there are some common errors that you might want to look for as your revise and edit your writing. Here's the first one: Error #1: Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice A run-on sentence is a sentence that joins two independent clauses without punctuation or the appropriate conjunction. A comma splice is similar to a run-on sentence, but it uses a comma to join two clauses that have no appropriate conjunction. Fixing a run-on sentence or a comma splice can be accomplished in one of five different ways:
Read more at 18 Most Common Grammar Mistakes Last week, we looked at how to recognize fragments and how to fix them. This week, we will practice correcting run-on sentences (sometimes called fused sentences) and comma splice errors.
Here are some exercises to help you: Understanding how sentences are put together will help us avoid making some basic mistakes in our writing.
The first few exercises are an opportunity for you to practice identifying sentence types. We have identified three types so far: simple, compound, and complex. There is one more type of sentence that you should be familiar with. It is called a compound-complex sentence. Very simply, this type of sentence has at least two independent clauses (compound) and at least one dependent clause (complex). Click here to review the four sentence types. Here are some more online exercises to help you:
Take the quiz below to see if you can tell the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause.
Clause Quiz |
AuthorMy name is Craig, and I've been teaching English for many years. I initially created this site for my students, but all English learners are welcome. I hope you find something helpful to you. Feel free to leave suggestions or ideas in the Comments section under any entry. Categories
All
|