Two sentences are joined by a comma instead of separated by a period or a semi-colon This is closely related to the run-on sentence If you have a sentence that has two full sets of subjects and verbs, you may want to separate them into two sentences One long sentence is difficult to read and it loses it fluency
A comma splice occurs when two separate independent sentences are joined with only a comma For example, the following sentence contains a comma splice: It is a warm and sunny day, the children want to play outside
when you join two sentences with a comma, you have created a writing error called a comma splice; comma splices can be fixed with a semi-colon, a comma with a conjunction, or a period and a capital: Incorrect: That cat is a Persian, her name is Cleopatra Correct: That cat is a Persian; her name is Cleopatra Correct: That cat is a Persian, and her name is Cleopatra Correct: That cat is a Persian Her name is Cleopatra Sometimes a comma splice can be fixed by making one of the clauses dependent: Incorrect: I waited in line for tickets to the Dave Matthews Band concert, a storm broke out and it began to rain Correct: As I waited in line for tickets to the Dave Matthews Band concert, a storm broke out and it began to rain The word as makes the first clause dependent