Comma splice
Template:Short description In written English usage, a comma splice or comma fault[1][2] is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. For example:
The comma splice is sometimes used in literary writing to convey a particular mood of informality. It is usually considered an error in English writing style. Some authorities on English usage consider comma splices appropriate in limited situations, such as informal writing or with short similar phrases.[3][4]
Description
Comma splices are rare in most published writing,[a] but are common among inexperienced writers of English.[1][5]
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White advises using a semicolon, not a comma, to join two grammatically complete clauses, or writing the clauses as separate sentences. The Elements of Style notes an exception to the semicolon rule, preferring a comma when the clauses are "very short and alike in form," or when the sentence's tone is "easy and conversational." For example:
Comma splices are similar to run-on sentences, which join two independent clauses without any punctuation or a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, for, etc. Sometimes the two types of sentences are treated differently based on the presence or absence of a comma, but most writers consider the comma splice a special type of run-on sentence.[5] According to Garner's Modern English Usage: Template:Quote
Comma splices often arise when writers use conjunctive adverbs (such as furthermore, however, or moreover) to separate two independent clauses instead of using a coordinating conjunction.[6]
In literature
Comma splices are also occasionally used in fiction, poetry, and other forms of literature to convey a particular mood or informal style. Some authors use commas to separate short clauses only.[1] The comma splice is more commonly found in works from the 18th and 19th century, when written prose mimicked speech more closely.[7]
The New Fowler's Modern English Usage describes the use of the comma splice by the authors Elizabeth Jolley and Iris Murdoch:
Journalist Oliver Kamm wrote in 2016 of novelist Jane Austen's use of the comma splice, "Tastes in punctuation are not constant. It makes no sense to accuse Jane Austen of incorrect use of the comma, as no one would have levelled this charge against her at the time. Her conventions of usage were not ours."[7]
The author and journalist Lynne Truss writes in Eats, Shoots & Leaves that "so many highly respected writers observe the splice comma that a rather unfair rule emerges on this one: only do it if you're famous."[8] Citing Samuel Beckett, E. M. Forster, and Somerset Maugham, she says: "Done knowingly by an established writer, the comma splice is effective, poetic, dashing. Done equally knowingly by people who are not published writers, it can look weak or presumptuous. Done ignorantly by ignorant people, it is awful."[8]
Notes
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- ^ By "published writing," this article is referring to professionally published writing, such as commercially published works, where someone other than the author has proofread the work before it is published. Self-published works, if carefully examined and corrected by someone with language skills, can qualify as professionally done.
References
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- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wilson, Kenneth (2005). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press. p. 102. ISBN 9780585041483.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Follett, Wilson; Wensberg, Erik (1998). Modern American Usage: A Guide. Macmillan. p. 269. ISBN 9780809001392.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."To Splice or Not to Splice?". The MLA Style Center. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Comma Splice—Learn How to Avoid It". Grammarly. 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Garner, Bryan A. (2016). Garner's Modern English Usage. Oxford University Press. p. 803. ISBN 9780190491482.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Buckley, Joanne (2003). Checkmate : a writing reference for Canadians. Scarborough, Ont.: Thomson Nelson. ISBN 0-176-22440-8.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kamm, Oliver (2016). Accidence Will Happen: A Recovering Pedant's Guide to English Language and Style. Pegasus Books. p. 152. ISBN 9781681771892.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Truss, Lynne (2003). "That'll do, comma". Eats, Shoots & Leaves. London: Profile Books. p. 88. ISBN 1-86197-612-7.
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Further reading
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bridge, Deborah (2009). "The S.P.L.I.C.E. of Life?". In Patterson, Diana (ed.). Harry Potter's World Wide Influence. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 9781443816281.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The dreaded comma splice". The Economist. 10 January 2012.
External links
- The Elements of Style: full text of Strunk's 1918 edition
