Comma Splices and Runs Ons

© Bill Stifler, 1997

Comma-spliced and Run-on sentences

There are three correct ways of joining independent clauses (making compound and compound/complex sentences)

  • Sentence, coordinating conjunction sentence.
  • Sentence; sentence.
  • Sentence; conjunctive adverb, sentence.

Coordinating conjunctions are the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Conjunctive adverbs (adverb phrases) are words like therefore and however or phrases like in fact or on the other hand.

Comma Spliced and run-on sentences are incorrect ways of joining independent clauses.

  • Run-on: Sentencesentence. (No intervening punctuation)
  • Comma-splice: Sentence, sentence. (Sentences separated by a comma only)