A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by a comma without a coordinating conjunction.

A run-on sentence is a sentence that contains two or more independent clauses that are not properly connected.

A fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but does not express a complete thought.

You can fix a comma splice by adding a coordinating conjunction, changing the comma to a semicolon, or making it into two separate sentences.

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a complete thought.

A dependent clause is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a sentence because it does not express a complete thought.

A semicolon is used to connect closely related independent clauses or to separate items in a complex list.