Instructor's mother-in-law beats JRN 375 students in catching the dreaded comma splice

I believe some of the best/entertaining/compelling/insightful/funny journalism can be when a reporter is willing make a point through real-life examples. It also can be risky in terms of writing and in terms of how sources might react. I believe both are true in this post, in which I am providing useful grammar insight from my mother-in-law, a retired English teacher and librarian:

"----- Original Message -----
From: Ann
To: chris machniak
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 8:58 PM
Subject: Sentence Punctuation Error

Chris,

While reading your class blog today, I came across a very common grammatical error in punctuating two independent clauses while using the conjunctive adverb 'however':

'I think this a point-worthy question to raise, however, I would justify The Journal's use of it because it's coming from the police, who are using it to explain a key fact in the story.'

By using a comma and not a semicolon after the first clause and before the conjunctive adverb 'however', the writer creates what is called a 'comma splice.' The following Web site might help clarify what I mean:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_commacomp.html

I hope this helps you see what I am trying to point out.

ANN."

She, of course, is correct, although I would not recommend fixing the error with a semicolon. The newspaper writing style would favor breaking the clauses up into two sentences or using a coordinating conjunction. When using the conjunction, a comma would be required after the first independent clause and before the conjunction.

I feel obligated to give her an honorary extra credit point. I hope no one objects.