Ssateacher
U.S. teachers may want to change the British spelling of 'favourite' to 'favorite' to avoid off-topic discussion (as with my very distractible class), but of course this is a minor item. The overhead includes fixing a comma splice TWO ways--add a conjunction or create two separate sentences--and does not include using a semi-colon. It is easy enough to copy/paste to a new document and add this for older students. The intro paragraph at the top explaining a comma splice is humorous and I like the explanation (comma not strong enough to join ICs). It is the kind of phrase I can repeat frequently and might stick in students' minds. This is a useful weapon to add to the arsenal against this common criminal which appears so frequently in student writing. February 11, 2010