EditFast Grammar Resource: Comma Splices: Fused Sentences

Job SearchGovernment, corporate, military, domestic, and overseas jobs in all fields.

Resources for Writers, Authors, Editors, Copy Editors, and Proofreaders

Huge Database
Writers' and Editors' Resources
Magazines, Publishers, Literary Agents, Writing Competitions.

Copy one of the following and paste it anywhere on any page of your site.

Fused Sentences

Independent clauses must be separated by proper punctuation, either through the use of a period, semi-colon, or, sometimes, a colon. Commas can be used to separate independent clauses only if they are used with a coordinating conjunction. Comma splices and fused sentences are different errors, but they produce the same grammatical problem of juxtaposing two independent clauses without proper punctuation between them.

Fused Sentences

A fused sentence, or a run-on sentence, occurs when two complete sentences are not separated by any punctuation.

Example:

• Incorrect: Arco, Inc. failed to meet profit expectations last year its stock price fell dramatically.
• Correct: Arco, Inc. failed to meet profit expectations last year. Its stock price fell dramatically.