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✍️ The Comma That Costs Marks
✍️ The Comma That Costs Marks
You wrote a brilliant sentence. Then you wrote another one. You separated them with a comma. AQA just knocked a mark off for AO6.
A comma splice is one of the most common errors in GCSE writing — and one of the cheapest to fix. Two complete sentences joined only by a comma is not a stylistic choice: it is a boundary violation. Three letters and a capital can repair it.
What is a comma splice?: <strong>A comma splice</strong> is when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are joined with only a comma — which is not strong enough to hold them together.<br><br><strong>Error:</strong> “She laughed, it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.”<br><strong>Fixed:</strong> “She laughed. It was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.”<br><br><strong>Test:</strong> can each side stand alone as a sentence? If yes — a comma alone is not enough.
English Language glossary
- What is a comma splice?
- <strong>A comma splice</strong> is when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are joined with only a comma — which is not strong enough to hold them together.<br><br><strong>Error:</strong> “She laughed, it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.”<br><strong>Fixed:</strong> “She laughed. It was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.”<br><br><strong>Test:</strong> can each side stand alone as a sentence? If yes — a comma alone is not enough.
🔍 What a Comma Splice Is
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses (each capable of standing alone as a sentence) are joined with only a comma. The comma is not strong enough to hold two full sentences together.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Which of the following is a comma splice?
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