Break the independent clauses into separate sentences. This is the best solution when your
sentence itself is long or when the two independent clauses are relatively unrelated in thought:
Political polarization in America has grown sharper and more damaging in the 21st century, the chief
reason may be the rise of social media, which immerses users in a customized information landscape.
Use a semicolon. This is the best solution when you want to show a relationship between the two
independent clauses or when you want a longer sentence to break up the rhythm of a paragraph with
lots of short sentences.
Political polarization has grown sharper and more damaging in the 21st century; the timing is not coincidental,
given the influence of social media.
Use a coordinating conjunction. A coordinating conjunction links independent clauses.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions, and you can remember them using the acronym
FAN BOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Political polarization has grown sharper and more damaging in the 21st century,
and the timing is not coincidental, given the influence of social media.
An independent clause refers to a
group of words that can stand on its
own as a sentence. This
means that an independent clause
has both a subject and a predicate.
For example:
Mary went to the store
She drove her new car
A comma splice refers to a sentence in which two or
more independent clauses have been “spliced”
together with only a comma:
Mary went to the store, she drove her new car
Similarly, a run-on sentence refers to a sentence in
which two or more independent clauses have simply
run together, without commas or other forms of
punctuation:
Mary went to the store she drove her new car
At best, comma splices and run-on sentences clutter your paper and create a mild distraction
for your reader. At worst, comma splices and run-ons suggest that you do not have full control
over your material. They can indicate that you have not determined where one thought ends
and a new one begins. Fortunately, there are three easy ways to fix comma splices and run-on
sentences.
comma splices +
run-on sentences
USC Writing Center
Summer 2020
