A comma splice is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. For example:
It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.
Although acceptable in some languages and compulsory in others (e.g. Bulgarian), comma splices are usually considered style errors in English. Some English style guides consider comma splices appropriate in certain situations, such as when being poetic or with short, similar phrases.
== Prescriptive view ==
Comma splices are condemned in The Elements of Style, a popular American English style guide by E.B. White and William Strunk, Jr.
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