He loves reading, he hates libraries. What’s wrong with that sentence? Other than being entirely nonsensical, the sentence contains the dreaded comma splice. A
comma splice is when two independent clauses are joined by a comma instead of a
conjunction (junction) or a “stronger” form of punctuation, like a period or semicolon. This is also known as a run-on sentence.
The comma splice is a formal writing no-no. So, what should you do when you use a comma splice at work? You have three options:
- Add one of the FANBOYS after the comma:
- For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
- Add a period to make each independent clause its own sentence
- Change the comma into a semicolon
He loves reading, but he hates libraries. He loves reading. He hates libraries. He loves reading; he hates libraries. The subject may still need an attitude adjustment. But at least the sentences are now grammatically correct.
