Here we have a comma splice: two independent clauses that are incorrectly separated by a comma and should instead be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. Written correctly, this sentence would read: “A rigorous national curriculum should encompass not only excellent preparation in reading and mathematics but also so-called extracurricular activities such as sports, arts, and music; studies have shown that the most successful people in life are often those with divergent, varied interests.” “The list “sports, arts, and music” is correctly punctuated with commas, as are the two adjectives that precede “interests.”

Here we have a comma splice: two independent clauses that are incorrectly separated by a comma and should instead be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. Written correctly, this sentence would read: “Prison reform is one issue the senator is expected to address in his upcoming bill; the bill would include long-awaited laws to preserve inmates’ basic human rights.” The apostrophe is correctly forming a plural possessive.

This is another comma splice. In other words, we have two independent clauses that are incorrectly separated by a comma and should instead be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. The first and last commas in this sentence are both correct, since they separate dependent clauses from the main independent clause. The correct sentence is “Ever since he learned how to speak, my little brother has been asking for a dog, my parents think he should wait until he’s old enough to take care of a pet, though.”

Here is another comma splice. We have two independent clauses (“With drought threatening crops, livestock, and landscaping across the state, California had no choice but to enact water restrictions” and “residents complained, but most understood the necessity of the measures”) that are incorrectly separated by a comma and should instead be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. The list is correctly punctuated with commas.

This is another comma splice. In other words, we have two independent clauses that are incorrectly separated by a comma and should instead be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. The first and last commas in this sentence are both correct: The first one separates the dependent from the independent clause, and the last one separates two adjectives that are modifying the same noun. they separate dependent clauses from the main independent clause. The correctly punctuated sentence is “As most people learn in elementary school, butterflies undergo astounding metamorphoses in their short lifetimes; they begin as larvae and quickly transform into pupae and then beautiful, multicolored adults.”

A comma correctly separates a dependent clause (“Contrary to popular belief”) from an independent clause (“chicken soup does not prevent one from contracting the common cold”), but it incorrectly separates two independent clauses (“chicken soup does not prevent one from contracting the common cold” and “it simply strengthens the immune system by providing nutrition”). This is called a comma splice, and it can be fixed by replacing the comma with a semicolon.

Here we have a comma splice: two independent clauses that are incorrectly separated by a comma. Two independent clauses in the same sentence must be punctuated by either a comma with a conjunction or a semicolon. Correctly punctuated, this sentence would read: “My manager says it’s always better to apologize than to argue with our customers; they’re not always right, but it’s our job to pretend they are.”

This sentence features two independent clauses separated by a comma, otherwise known as a comma splice. The sentence needs to be separated by a conjunction like "and" or "so," or by a punctuation mark that divides the sentence into two, like a period or a semicolon.

This is a comma splice. The two clauses in this sentence are both independent clauses, meaning each could stand on its own as a full sentence. For that reason, they must be joined by either a semicolon or a comma WITH a conjunction.

Because the comma after "population" separates two independent clauses, there must be a coordinating conjunction after the comma. Alternatively, a semicolon could be inserted in lieu of the comma. Using just a single comma to join two independent clauses creates a comma splice.