A comma splice is a grammar error that is created by joining two independent clauses (complete sentences) with a comma. It is one of the most common grammar mistakes; if you pay attention, you’ll encounter dozens of them each day.
Since we have two complete sentences, we would form a comma splice if we combined them by using just a comma:
We see comma splices everywhere, and it’s unfortunate that people don’t know how to correct them.
Here is an easy way to correct a comma splice:
There is another way to fix comma splices: use the “FANBOYS”:
IMPORTANT NOTE: If the sentences are short, the comma before each FANBOYS is optional. However, on the SAT and ACT exams, they ALWAYS require a comma.
The technical name for the FANBOYS is coordinating conjunction. The term itself isn’t important; what actually matters is the role that coordinating conjunctions play. So let’s take a random comma splice and fix it by using one of the FANBOYS:
The sentence is now correct. On standardized tests, comma splices are quite common. Placing one of the FANBOYS between the two independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) solves this problem. Just be sure to pick the one that makes the most logical sense. (For instance, there is a big difference between “but” and “and,” so you have to pick the right word.)
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