Exercise 11: Comma Splices
The sentences comprise sections 2-6 of Plutarch’s Life of Themistocles (Loeb translation by R. Waterfield, Harvard University Press 1998, slightly altered to create the comma splices).
Questions and Answers
- 1.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?It is generally agreed that even as a child Themistocles was full of restless energy, and combined natural intelligence with an inclination towards involvement in activities and public life.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.Rate this question:
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- 2.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?For instance, in his spare time, when he was not busy with lessons, he tended not to play games or lounge around as most other boys did, but could be found rehearsing or composing speeches to himself--speeches designed to prosecute or defend one of the other children.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "lessons"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "did"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
Both commas go with conjunctions and are therefore not comma splices: the first goes with "when" and the second with "but".Rate this question:
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- 3.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?This habit of his caused his teacher to say to him, 'You're not destined for obscurity, child, you'll certainly be something outstanding, for good or for ill.'
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "him"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "obscurity"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "child"
- E.
Yes: the comma after "outstanding"
Correct Answer
D. Yes: the comma after "child"Explanation
The third comma separates two complete self-standing clauses that have no conjunction. The original author used a colon here.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Also, he was a slow and reluctant student of subjects which were moral in tone, or which were designed to promote a cultured sense of pleasure and delight.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "also"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "tone"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
There is a conjunction ("or").Rate this question:
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- 5.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?He showed an unchildlike contempt for a merely theoretical approach to intelligence and practical activity, he preferred to rely on his natural abilities.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "activity"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "activity"Explanation
The two parts of the sentence are both complete self-standing clauses and there is no conjunction. In fact what the author really wrote here is "He showed an unchildlike contempt for a merely theoretical approach to intelligence and practical activity, preferring to rely on his natural abilities."Rate this question:
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- 6.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?This led in later years, when men of reputed culture would tease him in refined and polite society, to his being forced to respond, in a rather meretricious fashion, by saying that although he did not know how to tune a lyre or handle a harp, he had taken a small and insignificant state and made it a place of distinction and importance.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "years"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "society"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "fashion"
- E.
Yes: the comma after "harp"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The first three commas are parenthetical; the last one separates two clauses that are joined by the conjunction "although".Rate this question:
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- 7.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Stesimbrotus, it is true, says that Themistocles attended Anaxagoras' lectures and studied with Melissus, the natural scientist, this is an anachronism.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "Stesimbrotus"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "true"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "Melissus"
- E.
Yes: the comma after "scientist"
Correct Answer
E. Yes: the comma after "scientist"Explanation
All the commas are parenthetical, but the last one also introduces a separate self-standing clause without a conjunction. In fact what the author wrote is "Stesimbrotus, it is true, says that Themistocles attended Anaxagoras' lectures and studied with Melissus, the natural scientist, but this is an anachronism."Rate this question:
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- 8.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Melissus commanded the forces which resisted Pericles during his blockade of Samos, and Anaxagoras was a close associate of Pericles, and Pericles was much younger than Themistocles.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "Samos"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "Pericles"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
Both commas come before the conjunction "and".Rate this question:
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- 9.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Mnesiphilus' successors, who combined this 'teaching' with forensic skills and diverted its application away from practical activities and towards oratory, were the so-called sophists.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "successors"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "oratory"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The commas set off the parenthetical "who" clause. None of the three parts of this sentence could stand on its own as an independent sentence.Rate this question:
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- 10.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?However, his early adolescent impulses made him erratic and unstable, because he followed only his natural inclinations, which, if left unchecked by reason and education, cause dramatic shifts in a person's activities from one extreme to another, they often make one degenerate.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "unstable"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "inclinations"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "which"
- E.
Yes: the comma after "education"
- F.
Yes: the comma after "another"
Correct Answer
F. Yes: the comma after "another"Explanation
The early parts of the sentence are linked by conjunctions ("because" and "if") and by "which"; the very last part, however, is a self-standing independent sentence that should not be attached by a comma. In fact what the author wrote was "However, his early adolescent impulses made him erratic and unstable, because he followed only his natural inclinations, which, if left unchecked by reason and education, cause dramatic shifts in a person's activities from one extreme to another, and often make him degenerate."Rate this question:
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- 11.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Some writers, however, have invented fictional consequences of Themistocles' instability, they say that he was disinherited by his father and that his mother was so upset by her son's bad reputation that she committed suicide.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "writers"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "however"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "instability"
Correct Answer
D. Yes: the comma after "instability"Explanation
The first two commas are parenthetical, surrounding "however", but the last one joins two self-standing independent clauses without a conjunction. The author actually wrote a colon here.Rate this question:
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- 12.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Moreover, there are also those who say, to the contrary, that his father tried to discourage him from engaging in politics by showing him the wrecks of old, neglected triremes on the seashore.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "say"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "contrary"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "old"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The first two commas are parenthetical, surrounding "to the contrary"; the last one separates two adjectives that go with the same noun. None of the parts of this sentence are complete on their own.Rate this question:
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- 13.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?The implication was that the common people treated their leaders in the same way too, once they had outlived their usefulness.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "too"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
"Once" is a conjunction here (it means "when"), and a comma before a conjunction is never a comma splice.Rate this question:
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- 14.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?It looks as though politics became a prevalent and vigorous influence on Themistocles early in his life, already then the desire for public recognition gained a thorough hold over him.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "life"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "life"Explanation
Each half of the sentence is complete and could stand on its own, and there is no conjunction. Here the author actually wrote "It looks as though politics became a prevalent and vigorous influence on Themistocles early in his life, and as though the desire for public recognition gained a thorough hold over him."Rate this question:
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- 15.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?It was this desire that led to his ambition, from the very start, to be the leading citizen of Athens, and therefore to his willing acceptance of the clashes between himself and the city's power-possessors and leaders.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "start"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "Athens"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.Rate this question:
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- 16.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?But the origin of the hostility between the two men was apparently rather juvenile, according to Ariston the philosopher, they were both in love with the good-looking Stesilaus, who came from Ceos, and afterwards they continued to be rivals in the public arena too.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "juvenile"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "philosopher"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "Stesilaus"
- E.
Yes: the comma after "Ceos"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "juvenile"Explanation
Most of the commas set off parenthetical phrases ("according to Ariston the philosopher" and "who came from Ceos"), but the first one also joins two independent self-standing clauses without a conjunction. The author actually wrote a colon there.Rate this question:
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- 17.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Aristides' character was moderate and conservative, his political career was motivated not by a desire for gratification or reputation, but by the goal of maximizing the city's advantage to the fullest extent that was consistent with both safety and justice.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "conservative"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "reputation"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "conservative"Explanation
The first comma joins two independent self-standing clauses without a conjunction; the second comes before the conjunction "but". The author actually wrote "Aristides' character was moderate and conservative, and his political career was motivated not by a desire for gratification or reputation, but by the goal of maximiz- ing the city's advantage to the fullest extent that was consistent with both safety and justice."Rate this question:
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- 18.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?He was therefore forced time and again to resist Themistocles' attempts to arouse the people of Athens and introduce major innovations, and to impede the growth of his power.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "innovations"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.Rate this question:
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- 19.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?People expressed surprise at this change in his life and asked him about it, he told them that Miltiades' trophy would not let him sleep.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "it"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "it"Explanation
Each half of this sentence could stand on its own, and there is no conjunction. Here the author actually wrote "When people expressed surprise at this change in his life and asked him about it, he told them that Miltiades' trophy would not let him sleep. "Rate this question:
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- 20.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?For while everyone else thought that the Persian defeat at Marathon was the end of the war, Themistocles saw it as the start of a greater contest, and he therefore set about oiling himself and training his city to champion all Greece, since he looked far into the future and saw what was to come.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "war"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "contest"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "Greece"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
Each comma goes with a conjunction: "while", "and" and "since".Rate this question:
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- 21.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?The first consequence of this was that although the Athenians were accustomed to distribute among themselves the revenue from the silver mines at Laurium, Themistocles was the only one who dared to come forward in the Assembly and argue that they had to stop the distribution.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "Laurium"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The two clauses are connected by the conjunction "although".Rate this question:
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- 22.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?He proposed that they should use the money from the mines to build a fleet for the war against the Aeginetans, it was the most intense war being fought in Greece at the time and in which the Aeginetans had control of the sea, thanks to the size of their fleet.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "Aeginetans"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "sea"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "Aeginetans"Explanation
The last comma sets off a parenthetical phrase, but the first one joins two self-standing sentences without a conjunction. Here the author actually wrote "He proposed that they should use the money from the mines to build a fleet for the war against the Aeginetans, which was the most intense war being fought in Greece at the time and in which the Aeginetans had control of the sea, thanks to the size of their fleet."Rate this question:
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- 23.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?He did not have to wave Darius or the Persians at them, their distance from Athens made their coming seem a remote prospect and not one to cause people any particularly constant anxiety.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "their"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "their"Explanation
The comma joins two self-standing sentences without a conjunction. Here the author actually used a colon.Rate this question:
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- 24.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?The money from Laurium went towards the construction of a hundred triremes, which were also used in the war at sea against Xerxes.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "triremes"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The comma sets of a parenthetical "which" clause.Rate this question:
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- 25.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?He argued that on land they were no match even for their neighbours, with naval power they could go so far as to keep the Persians at bay and make themselves the masters of Greece.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "neighbours"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "neighbours"Explanation
The two clauses could each stand as independent sentences, and there is no conjunction. Here the author actually put the conjunction "whereas" after the comma.Rate this question:
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- 26.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?In the process, he brought down on himself the following charge: 'Themistocles has robbed his fellow citizens of the spear and the shield, he reduced the Athenian people to the rowing-bench and the oar.'
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "shield"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "shield"Explanation
The two clauses in the quotation could each stand as independent sentences, and there is no conjunction. Here the author actually put the conjunction "whereas" after the comma. The author actually wrote "Themistodes has robbed his fellow citizens of the spear and the shield and reduced the Athenian people to the rowing-bench and the oar."Rate this question:
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- 27.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?In order to achieve this, he had, as Stesimbrotus reports, to overcome Miltiades' objections.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "this"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "had"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "reports"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The first comma sets off an introductory phrase that could not stand on its own as a separate sentence, and the second and third surround a parenthetical expression.Rate this question:
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- 28.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?For after his defeat at sea Xerxes turned tail, even though his land forces remained undamaged, he considered himself outclassed.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "tail"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "undamaged"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "tail"Explanation
The phrase "even though" is a conjunction that could join the middle section of the sentence either to what precedes or to what follows; as that is the only conjunction, one or the other of the commas should be a semicolon. The author actually used a semicolon after "tail"; an argument could be made for putting the semicolon after "undamaged" instead, but the resulting sentence would be a little odd.Rate this question:
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- 29.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Some writers claim that Themistocles had a keen eye for opportunities to make money and that this should be understood in the context of his generosity, he was fond of inviting people round to sacrificial feasts and lavished money grandly on his guests, with the result that he needed a copious income.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "generosity"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "guests"
Correct Answer
B. Yes: the comma after "generosity"Explanation
The last comma sets off a parenthetical phrase that could not be a complete sentence on its own, but the first one joins two complete sentences without a conjunction. The author actually used a colon here.Rate this question:
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- 30.
Does this sentence contain a comma splice?Others, however, accuse him of considerable stinginess and meanness, and maintain that he used to sell even the donated food.
- A.
No: it is correct as it is.
- B.
Yes: the comma after "Others"
- C.
Yes: the comma after "however"
- D.
Yes: the comma after "meanness"
Correct Answer
A. No: it is correct as it is.Explanation
The first two commas enclose a parenthetic "however"; the last one accompanies the conjunction "and".Rate this question:
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