How to Fix Comma Splices: Top10 Tips for Better Writing

Why You Should Know How to Correct a Comma Splice

One of the most frequent grammatical errors that occur in writing is comma splices. This type of run on error makes your writing more difficult to understand, so knowing how to fix comma splices is important if you want to communicate effectively. Comma splices can be difficult to avoid as many people don’t know the rules that apply and may not even recognize one when they see it. A comma splice occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined into a single sentence using a comma with no coordinating conjunction. An independent clause has a subject, a verb and expresses a complete thought. They can stand on their own as a sentence. To identify a comma splice just look for two independent clauses separated by only a comma.

Top 10 Tips and Tricks for How to Fix Comma Splices

So how do you fix a comma splice once you have identified one? There are a number of different ways to fix comma splices in your writing. We have provided 10 tips on how to fix this type of run on sentence that include comma splice examples and corrections.

1. Divide the comma splice into two separate sentences with a period. Example: “Mike’s coffee was bitter and cold, he drank it anyway.” Correction: “Mike’s coffee was bitter and cold. He drank it anyway.” Replace the comma with a period and capitalize the word following the period to form two sentences.
2. Replace the comma with a semicolon. Example: “Maria owns a catering business in the city, she is an expert in French cuisine.” Correction: “Maria owns a catering business in the city; she is an expert in French cuisine.” The semicolon replaces the comma. It isn’t necessary to capitalize the word following the semicolon unless it is a proper noun.
3. Add coordinating conjunction between the two independent clauses. Example: “Tom ran as fast as he could, he was still late for class.” Correction: “Tom ran as fast as he could, but he was still late for class.” Add coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) following the comma to correct the comma splice.
4. Use subordinating conjunction to separate the two independent clauses and make the second independent clause a dependent clause. Example: “Steve was late for his first day of work, he missed the bus.” Correction: “Steve was late for his first day of work because he missed the bus.” The comma was replaced with the subordinating conjunction “because”.
5. Use subordinating conjunction at the beginning of the sentence to make the first independent clause a dependent clause. Example: “Susan couldn’t carry a tune, she was kicked out of the choir.” Correction: “Since Susan couldn’t carry a tune, she was kicked out of the choir.” The subordinating conjunction “since” was added at the beginning of the sentence.
6. Replace the comma with a colon: Example: “John’s worst fear had come true, he failed to get into law school.” Correction: “John’s worst fear had come true: he failed to get into law school.”
7. Use an em dash to replace the comma. Example: “Lisa is addicted to her cell phone, it is always in her hand.” Correction: “Lisa is addicted to her cell phone – it is always in her hand.”
8. Use a conjunctive adverb with a comma and semicolon: Example: “Steve’s account was overdrawn, his check bounced.” Correction: “Steve’s account was overdrawn; therefore, his check bounced.” The semicolon should be placed before the conjunctive adverb and the comma after the conjunctive adverb.
9. Beware of the word “however”. It is frequently the cause of comma splices. Example: “Ann was absent for the review, however, she still aced the exam.” Correction: “Ann was absent for the review; however, she still aced the exam.” “However” is not coordinating conjunction; it is a conjunctive adverb and must be used with a semicolon and comma when joining independent clauses.
10. Use an exclamation point to make two separate sentences: “Steve must have been hungry, he ate two large pizzas.” Correction: “Steve must have been hungry! He ate two large pizzas.” An exclamation point isn’t always practical but can be used if you want to emphasize something.

Knowing how to fix comma splice errors in your writing will definitely help you when you are editing your text.

Options for Correcting Comma Splices

There are several approaches you can take to eliminate comma splices from your writing:

• Edit and proofread manually. It may take quite a bit of time, but if you are confident in your skills you can proofread and revise your text to identify the comma splice yourself. However, it is easy to overlook errors in your own text.
• Get help from a friend. You can ask a friend for help but you will be dependent on their skills and schedule.
• Hire a professional online. Can produce good results but likely to be expensive.
• Use a comma splice finder to detect and correct errors. A writing tool like our sentence checker can both check for comma splices online as well as recommend corrections on how to fix identified mistakes.

Of the suggested methods, using our sentence checker is the most effective way how to avoid run on sentences and comma splices in your writing. It is fast, accurate and free as well as easy to use.

Using Our Comma Splice Fixer

If you need comma splice help, our sentence corrector is one of the best options available to you. Using our writing tool is easy.

• Copy and paste your text into the provided field
• Click the button to start text analysis.
• Receive the analysis identifying errors along with recommendations on how to correct them.
• Make the recommended corrections

Our sentence fixer is a great tool for detecting and correcting comma splices, but it does much more than that. It will show you how to fix a fused sentence and many other types of errors as well. Other than run on sentences our writing tool will identify and offer suggested corrections for spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes and other types of grammatical errors such as noun/verb agreement. In addition it examines the tone of your text, whether you are using active or passive voice and makes suggested adjustments to ensure you are using the right tone and voice. Our comma splice detector works on any type of text including articles, blog posts, academic papers, letters and memos. It is fast as well as accurate and will usually complete a full analysis in under a minute. 

Try our comma splice checker online and experience how to correct comma splices and polish your paper in the most effective manner.