Commas and Comma Splices

There are four main uses for commas:

1. After an introductory phrase: “When she saw her grade, she was relieved. However, she still had much work if she wanted an A.”
2. To separate items in a list or series: “She studied, took practice tests, and reread the stories.”
3. Before a conjunction introducing an independent clause: “She accidently snoozed her alarm clock, but still managed to make it on time.” “She studied hard, so she felt prepared for the test.”
   1. What are the other conjunctions? And, but, so, or, for, yet, nor.
4. To set off an element, or a parenthetical phrase—these are phrases that often add some sort of description, but could be removed from the sentence without changing or confusing its meaning: “The students, which had first been indifferent, became more and more interested.” (From: The students were at first indifferent. Later, they became more interested.) “Kelly and Lisa, according to rumor, dropped the class.”

Unfortunately, many people substitute commas for other punctuation pieces. The most common form of run on is called the “comma splice,” and this is in most cases the type of run on that you are using.

• To put it simply, you should never join two independent clauses with a comma. (Remember: independent clauses are complete sentences, with a subject and a verb, expressing a complete thought.)

An example: “This is going to be the most difficult exam of your college career, you had better start studying immediately.” This is a comma splice because two independent clauses, that could very easily stand alone, are connected with a comma.

How do you fix it? Fix your comma splices by:

1. adding a conjunction after the comma
2. replacing the comma with a period and capitalizing the next word as the start of a new sentence.
3. replacing the comma with a semi-colon (only if the two sentences are inherently related).

Correct: “This is going to be the most difficult exam of your college career, so you had better start studying immediately.”

Let’s try another one: David Sedaris’s essay is entertaining, it is full of engaging ideas.

• David Sedaris’s essay is entertaining. It is full of engaging ideas.
• David Sedaris’s essay is entertaining, and full of engaging ideas.

ESSAY #2

Potential categories to consider when comparing your neighborhood to Times Square:

• Traffic: both the presence of cars and the presence of people.
• Transportation: how easy is it to get around?
• People:
  • Is your neighborhood predominately occupied by people of a certain ethnicity or is it a mix?
  • What kind of people? Business men and women? Tourist?
  • How do people handle themselves?
• Businesses that exist:
  • little bodegas and hardware stores, or national chain retailers?
  • Is it predominately residential? Is it a mix of commercial and residential? Is it completely commercial?
  • Where do you go to buy food? Are there restaurants?
• Physical structure: are the buildings tall or short buildings? Can you see the sky? What is the view?
  • What are the buildings made up of? Bricks? Cement? Glass? Are there giant electronic screens and an overabundance of advertisements, or is it subdued?
• Presence of parks and green space: trees and parks, or not?
• Entertainment: what are the entertainment options in the neighborhood?
• Expenses: how much would it cost to live in either neighborhood? How much does it cost to shop around either neighborhood?
  • Traffic: both the presence of cars and the presence of people.
  • Transportation: how easy is it to get around?
  • Presence of ethnicity:
    • Is your neighborhood predominately occupied by people of a certain ethnicity or is it a mix?
    • What kind of people? Business men and women? Tourist?
    • How do people handle themselves?
  • Businesses that exist:
    • little bodegas and hardware stores, or is it national chain retailers?
    • Is it predominately residential? Is it a mix of commercial and residential? Is it completely commercial?
    • Where do you go to buy food? Are there restaurants?
  • Physical structure: are the buildings tall or short buildings? Can you see the sky? What is the view?
    • What are the buildings made up of? Bricks? Cement? Glass? Are there giant electronic screens and an overabundance of advertisements, or is it subdued?
  • Presence of parks and green space: trees and parks, or not?
  • Entertainment: what are the entertainment options in the neighborhood?
  • Expenses: how much would it cost to live in either neighborhood? How much does it cost to shop around either neighborhood?

HOMEWORK

• Essay #2: observations and photos due on OpenLab before class Tuesday.
• Midterm on Thursday!