![]() ![]() Her conventions of usage were not ours." ![]() It makes no sense to accuse Jane Austen of incorrect use of the comma, as no one would have levelled this charge against her at the time. Journalist Oliver Kamm writes of novelist Jane Austen's use of the comma splice, "Tastes in punctuation are not constant. ![]() was of course already quite a famous man, Ludens had even heard of him from friends at Cambridge (I. Modern examples: I have the bed still, it is in every way suitable for the old house where I live now (E. Curiously, this habit of writing comma-joined sentences is not uncommon in both older and present-day fiction. conjoined sentences that turn up from children or from our less literate friends. įowler's Modern English Usage describes the use of the comma splice by the authors Elizabeth Jolley and Iris Murdoch: The comma splice is more commonly found in works from the 18th and 19th century, when written prose mimicked speech more closely. Some authors use commas to separate short clauses only. In literature Ĭomma splices are also occasionally used in fiction, poetry, and other forms of literature to convey a particular mood or informal style. Ĭomma splices often arise when writers use conjunctive adverbs (such as furthermore, however, or moreover) to separate two independent clauses instead of using a coordinating conjunction. But even when all three criteria are met, some readers are likely to object. Ost usage authorities accept comma splices when (1) the clauses are short and closely related, (2) there is no danger of a miscue, and (3) the context is informal. According to Garner's Modern English Usage: Sometimes the two types of sentences are treated differently based on the presence or absence of a comma, but most writers consider the comma splice as a special type of run-on sentence. Ĭomma splices are similar to run-on sentences, which join two independent clauses without any punctuation and without a coordinating conjunction such as and, but for, etc. The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up. advises using a semicolon, not a comma, to join two grammatically complete clauses, except when the clauses are "very short" and "similar in form", for example: The original 1918 edition of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. Overview Ĭomma splices are rare in most published writing but are common among inexperienced writers of English. Some authorities on English usage consider comma splices appropriate in limited situations, such as informal writing or with short similar phrases. In the United States it is usually considered an error in English writing style. The comma splice is sometimes used in literary writing to convey a particular mood of informality. It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. In written English usage, a comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. Use of a comma to join independent clauses without a conjunction ![]()
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