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English · Original worked example

Use commas without joining two sentences by accident

Recognize complete clauses, repair a comma splice, and explain why punctuation choices work in an original ACT English editing example.

By Raise Your ACT · Updated October 27, 2026 · How we review content

Before you begin

Useful foundation: Find the subject and verb and decide whether a thought is complete.

Your goal: Distinguish a comma splice from a correctly joined pair of independent clauses.

A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses. Use a period, a semicolon, or a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or so.

Work through an example

The team finished the survey, it published the results on Friday.
  1. “The team finished the survey” has a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.
  2. “It published the results on Friday” is also a complete thought. A comma alone creates a comma splice.
  3. One repair is: “The team finished the survey, and it published the results on Friday.” The conjunction joins the two clauses.
  4. Another valid repair is a semicolon: “The team finished the survey; it published the results on Friday.” Select the answer that fits both grammar and context.

Try a question yourself

The trail looked short, [however it] climbed steeply for the final mile.
Which replacement for [however it] correctly punctuates the sentence?

Choose an answer, then check your reasoning. This public practice is not saved.

Read all answer explanations

however, it: “However” does not join two independent clauses with just commas. One valid different construction would be “short; however, it climbed …”.

and, it: The extra comma after “and” separates the conjunction from its clause.

however; it: A semicolon after “however” leaves the first boundary incorrect and separates the transition from the clause it introduces.

but it — correct answer: Yes. The result is “The trail looked short, but it climbed steeply for the final mile.” The comma and “but” correctly join two complete clauses and express contrast.

What to do next

Practice identifying clauses before choosing among commas, semicolons, and periods.

Revisit the idea in a week using a different question. Repeating this example can help you understand it, but remembering its answer is not evidence of learning a new problem.

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These original practice examples are independent of ACT and are not official test questions.