is this sentence a comma splice, run-os or correct

[lizy]

The chess-playing computer defeats every student the programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

[Philly]

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Hi Lizy
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That's a run-on sentence.
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[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by lizy

The chess-playing computer defeats every student the programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

That needs punctuation. It is a run-on sentence.

The chess-playing computer defeats every student; the programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

The chess-playing computer defeats every student. The programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

The chess-playing computer defeats every student, but the programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

[rewboss]

Of course, for the sentence to be a comma splice, it would need a comma...

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by rewboss

Of course, for the sentence to be a comma splice, it would need a comma...

True that!

For the learners, this is the thread sentence as a comma splice:

The chess-playing computer defeats every student, the programmers insist that the machine cannot really think.

A comma splice is a type of run-on sentence; it connects two clauses with nothing but a comma.

[rewboss]

For everyone -- including learners -- the comma splice is a very common error, even among native speakers.

The rule is this: If you have two coordinate clauses in one sentence, you usually need a conjunction to join them -- a word like "and" or "but", for example. Many writers insist that a comma comes before the conjunction, others are not so fussy.

But without a conjunction, you have what are called "contact clauses", and contact clauses need a semicolon between them. MikeNewYork's examples in post number 3 show all the possibilities: use a conjunction, write two separate sentences or use a semicolon.