This ESL writing exercise introduces students to comma splices and how to fix them by properly using conjunctions such as “and”, “but”, and “so”.
Punctuation: Comma Splices and Conjunctions
When you write in English, you have to be careful with punctuation.
You cannotput two sentences together with only a comma (,) – this is called a “comma splice”. (A “comma splice” is like a run-on sentence – you should avoid it in your writing.)
If you want to put two sentences together, you need a conjunction: and / but / so / because
**Note: With “and/but/so” you need to use a comma, but you usually don’t need a comma with “because”.
Examples:
I went home early, I did my homework. (Wrong!)
I went home early , andI did my homework. (Right!)
I didn’t finish my homework, the teacher was angry. (Wrong!)
I didn’t finish my homework , sothe teacher was angry. (Right!)
The teacher was angry becauseI didn’t finish my homework. ( Right!)
You can draw pictures in class, you can’t talk to other students. (Wrong!)
You can draw pictures in class , butyou can’t talk to other students. (Right!)
Combine the sentences below, using a conjunction (and/but/so/because) and a comma (if you use and/but/so).
1. Chris went to Europe, he visited many countries.
2. I fell down the stairs last night, I didn’t get hurt.
3. I wanted to eat sushi, I went to a Japanese restaurant.
4. John and Kate went on a date, they didn’t have a very good time.
5. Willy enjoys playing badminton, he also likes to play soccer.
6. Andy hit another student in class, he got in trouble.