comma fault

Improper use of a comma to join two independent clauses. Also called comma splice.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

com′ma fault`

the misuse of a comma, rather than a semicolon, colon, or period, to separate related main clauses not joined by a conjunction.

[1930–35]

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comma splice

References in periodicals archive ?

Also called the comma fault or comma splice, the phrase is defined in the 4TH edition of The American Heritage Dictionary as "n.

Check out political hammer and thongs...is it Cliff's Notes?

A short, well-written "Grammar glossary" in the back of the Manual assists the reader who may not remember the definitions of terms such as appositive, comma fault, or transitive verb.

Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors

On the surface, what reader Fox opines is legit: The comma splice, or comma fault, rule warns, "Do not connect two main clauses with only a comma." But sweep aside the surface flora and fauna and one discovers balanced main clauses.