We're sure you know that joining two independent clauses together with a comma is a run-on sentence. (And if you didn't, now you do.) But did you know that it has a special name? It's called a comma splice.
Think of Fruit Ninja: in a comma splice, the comma splits two independent clauses, just like your ninja blade splits two yummy pieces of fruit.
Or something.
So what's the problem, exactly? Well, the comma has absolutely no business taking on this task without a conjunction. It's simply not strong enough.
Fortunately, you can help the comma out by plugging in one of the FANBOYS. Or, if the two sentences are closely related in content, you can replace the ninja-comma with our next topic, the sophisticated semicolon. So many options!
And yes, we give you permission to take a break and practice your Fruit Ninja skills.
Example
My siblings find the neighborhood owl's hooting annoying, our dog seems to find it relaxing.
OR
The squirrel really wanted the acorn, but it was just out of his furry little reach.
It totally makes sense that the speaker's dog finds the owl's hoots calming. He is one of their animal brethren, after all. What doesn't make sense is the grammar in that first sentence. It's a comma splice. Why? Because it has two independent clauses split by a comma. That just goes against the laws of nature. To fix it, all you need to do is add a coordinating conjunction that makes sense in the sentence. We think yet would be a perfect fit, don't you?
The second sentence is grammatically correct. There's a comma and a coordinating conjunction, but, which is a wonderful way to join two independent clauses… and avoid the dreaded comma splice.