Exercise 11: Comma Splices

The first two commas enclose a parenthetic "however"; the last one accompanies the conjunction "and".

A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.

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.

A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.

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."

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.

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. "

A comma before "and" is never a comma splice.

The comma sets of a parenthetical "which" clause.

Both commas come before the conjunction "and".

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."

There is a conjunction ("or").

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

"Once" is a conjunction here (it means "when"), and a comma before a conjunction is never a comma splice.

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.

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."

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."

The two clauses are connected by the conjunction "although".

The comma joins two self-standing sentences without a conjunction. Here the author actually used a colon.

Both commas go with conjunctions and are therefore not comma splices: the first goes with "when" and the second with "but".

The first three commas are parenthetical; the last one separates two clauses that are joined by the conjunction "although".

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."

Each comma goes with a conjunction: "while", "and" and "since".

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.

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.

The third comma separates two complete self-standing clauses that have no conjunction. The original author used a colon here.