• NotAnOtter@lemmus.org
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    24 hours ago

    “If you can replace a semicolon or hyphen with a comma/period, you probably should”. Writing advice I received at age ~10 and it never stopped being relevant in literature contexts

    • ramjambamalam@lemmy.ca
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      24 hours ago

      Far too many writers use a comma, when they should have used a semicolon or perion. It creates comma splices, where you join two main clauses with a comma.

      Wrong:

      His new car was flashy, it was bright red and had a custom license plate.

      Right:

      His new car was flashy. It was bright red and had a customer license plate.