Common Errors In English With Samuel Alimi
Comma splices are among the most common mistakes I frequently observe among writers as an editor due to the influx of ideas in their brains. While reading a book on a particular subject, I observed the author’s brilliance and intellect in presenting his viewpoints. However, I was confused by their incoherence, primarily caused by comma splices in the sentences. I took my pen to underline them and wondered why the hired editors had not noticed them before the book went to print. It was embarrassing.
A comma splice is a grammatical error that occurs when two independent clauses are incorrectly connected using a comma. For example, “I went to church last week, I prayed to God to secure employment with the organization before the end of November.” It is important to recognize the two independent clauses in this sentence:” I went to church last week” and “I prayed to God to secure employment with the organization before the end of November.” This example has been corrected in two ways.
- I went to church last week. I prayed to God to secure employment with the organization before the end of November.
The sentence is correct because it follows the rule of capitalization and uses a full stop to separate the sentences.
- I went to church last week; I prayed to God to secure employment with the organization before the end of November.
This sentence has been revised with a semicolon to eliminate the comma splice. However, it is important to learn that semicolons should be used for closely related sentences.
- I went to church last week, and I prayed to God to secure employment with the organization before the end of November.
In that sentence, the subordinating conjunction ‘and’ has been used to correct the grammatical mistake.
According to an article on this topic written by St. Louis Community Service, comma splices and fused sentences can be referred to as sentence errors that affect the transfer of ideas and thoughts from writers to readers.
Study the following example sentences:
The woman is a thief, she stole my tubers of yam at the market. (Incorrect)
The woman is a thief. She stole my tubers of yam at the market. (Correct)
Femi passed his examination, he celebrated his academic success with his loved ones in January. (Incorrect)
Femi passed his examination and celebrated his academic success with his loved ones in January. (Correct)
I enjoyed the party, I didn’t eat at all. (Incorrect)
I enjoyed the party, but I didn’t eat at all. (Correct)
Chinedu is a lawyer, Adaeze is a fashion designer. (Incorrect)
Chinedu is a lawyer. Adaeze is a fashion designer. (Correct)
The two major methods of fixing comma splices are listed below:
- The comma can be replaced with a semicolon to show that the sentences are closely related.
- A full stop can be used to divide the sentences with the second sentence, applying the rule of capitalization. For example, “Kolade ate my food, she confessed before I left for work.”
Corrected version: Kolade ate my food. She confessed before I left for work.
Have you noticed that ‘she’ has been capitalized because it is starting a new sentence following a period?
FUSED SENTENCES
Fused sentences, also known as run-on sentences, occur when two independent clauses are improperly combined without any punctuation marks, making it difficult for readers to understand the writer’s intended meaning. For example, “I bought new clothes last week I don’t like them.” should be been rewritten as “I bought new clothes last week. I don’t like them”.
By adding a period, the sentences become clearer and easier to understand.
Other examples include:
The professor died last night he didn’t know that he would die.
Doctor Audu reported the case to the management it has not been treated as expected.
The generator stopped working last night we need to repair it as soon as possible.
The corrected versions are:
The professor died last night. He didn’t know that he would die.
Doctor Audu reported the case to the management. It has not been treated as expected.
The generator stopped working last night. We need to repair it as soon as possible.
Assignment
1. Run-on sentences are also known as ______. (a) fused sentences (b) comma splices (c) run-in sentences.
2. Independent clauses are _______ clauses. (a) beta clauses (b) subordinate clauses (c) main clauses
3. Correct the sentence below using the appropriate punctuation mark.
Because the man slept on duty he was sacked.
Kindly forward your answers to samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com or 07049203179 via SMS.
Names of those who answered the last questions correctly
Sultan Musa, Victor Bawa, Alimi Olive, Alade Charity, Bello Sulaimon, Okere Chigozi, Ahmed Roqeeb, Banjo Victoria, Genesis Johnson, Yusuf Bala, Adeniji Mattew, Babatunde Esther, Fiyinfoluwa Olawale, Chigozie Eze, Daniella Akeju, Diamond Praise.
