Republic of the Philippines

University of Northern Philippines

Tamag, Vigan City
2700 Ilocos Sur

College of Teacher Education-Graduate School

Website: www.unp.edu.com.ph Mail: deancte@yahoo.com
Mobile #: (077) 674-0789

MEMORY FYE S. DOMINGO NOLITO R. RAGUNJAN, MAT-Eng

MAT-Eng Student Advanced Composition for Teachers

SENTENCE STRUCTURE (COMMA SPLICE)

Comma Splice –incorrect use of comma to connect two independent clauses.

*splice means to join

WHEN TO USE A COMMA

1. Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) that
links two independent clauses.

Ex. I went running, and I saw a duck.

2. Use a comma after a dependent clause that starts a sentence.

Ex. When I went running, I saw a duck.

3. Use commas to offset appositives from the rest of the sentence.

Ex. While running, I saw a mallard, a kind of duck.

4. Use commas to separate items in a series.

Ex. I saw a duck, a magician, and a liquor store when I went running.

5. Use a comma after introductory adverbs.

Ex. Finally, I went running.
6. Use a comma when attributing quotes.
Ex. The runner said, “I saw a duck.”

7. Use a comma to separate each element in an address. Also use a comma after a city-
state combination within a sentence.
Ex. I work at 257 Park Ave. South, New York, N.Y. 10010.

8. Also use a comma to separate the elements in a full date (weekday, month and day, and
year). Also separate a combination of those elements from the rest of the sentence with
commas.
Ex.”March 15, 2013, was a strange day.”

9. Use a comma when the first word of the sentence is freestanding “yes” or “no”.
Ex. Yes, I saw a duck when I went running.

10. Use a comma when directly addressing someone or something in a sentence.

Ex. My editor often asks, “Christina, is that article up yet?”

11. Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun.
Ex. I saw the big, mean duck when I went running.

12. Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.

Ex. I saw a duck, not a baby seal, when I went running.

13. Use commas before every sequence of three numbers when writing a number larger
than 999. (Two exceptions are writing years and house number)
Ex.10, 000

HOW TO FIX A COMMA SPLICE

1. Punctuate the two clauses as sentences. Use a period (.)

Ex. Robert ate worms. Many dislikes Robert.

2. Use a semicolon (;) to join the clauses.

Ex. Robert ate worms; Mary dislikes Robert.

3. Use a subordinating conjunction (because, when, since, although) .

Ex. Because Robert ate worms, Mary dislikes Robert.
4. Use a semicolon plus a conjunctive adverb(therefore, then, however)
Ex. Robert ate wroms; therefore, Mary dislikes Robert.