Comma Splice Grammar Help

If one needs help with comma-splices, in the following there will be examples of correctly written sentences as well as some examples of different sentence types. If there is nothing written below a sentence then it is correct, if not, the sentence type will be listed.

1. The town knows this when the phone wires get tangled inside the trees, the maintenance people come and cut out the branches at that height.
   
   This is an example of a fused sentence.
2. Unfortunately, Bernard's accomplishment was short-lived, because it wasn't long before each of those wonderfully cleared chairs began to develop a fresh pile of books, papers, and stuff all over again.
3. To his astonishment, everyone he asked agreed and even apologized. They said they would immediately clear everything off their chairs.
4. Each person had a chair next to his or her desk for visitors, but their visitors were not able to sit in many of those chairs.
5. Melinda told the maintenance people that hawthorn trees would not grow as high as the telephone wires, so they would not need to have their branches cut.
6. She explained to the maintenance people that all the other types of trees would grow very tall, the telephone wires, which are twenty-five feet up, would get tangled among the branches.
   
   This is an example of a comma splice.
7. Melinda told the maintenance people that she would only want hawthorn trees planted at her curb she told them her reason.
   
   This is an example of a fused sentence.
8. Out of all the trees that the town planted, the hawthorn was the only type that was an "understory" tree, that's why Melinda wanted hawthorns.
   
   This is an example of a comma splice.
9. The maintenance people said they could not guarantee that Melinda would get only hawthorn trees they would select the trees randomly when they come to do the planting.
   
   This is an example of a fused sentence.
10. The town council wanted to beautify the streets by planting trees along the curbs in front of houses whose trees had died, Melinda refused to have new trees planted at her curb.
    
    This is an example of a comma splice.
11. The reason was very simple: most people stacked books, papers, and other stuff on their chairs.
12. Bernard loved his part-time job at the local newspaper, but there was one problem.
13. He began with a few of the advertising people. He asked them if they wouldn't mind keeping things off their chairs so that visitors could sit in them.
14. The town maintenance people told Melinda that they planted the following types of trees: linden, hawthorn, maple, sweet gum, and flowering pear.
15. Melinda's curb is the only one on her block without street trees, this is exactly the way she wants it.
    
    This is an example of a comma splice.
16. Eventually, he got to everyone in the office. One by one, the chairs were cleared of clutter, and visitors could sit.
17. Nearly all the people who worked there had the same habit. It was a habit that had always annoyed Bernard.
18. These people used their chairs as extensions of their desks, so their visitors would have to stand next to the overburdened chairs.
19. Bernard wanted to break this habit. After all, why couldn't a chair be used as a chair?
20. She wasn't against the idea of new street trees her problem was with the type of trees the town wanted to plant.
    
    This is an example of a comma splice.

So there you have a few examples of some correct, fused, and comma splice sentences. Hope these examples are able to help you guys further understand sentence structures and sentence types!

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Symbolism in "The Death of the Moth"

Reading this story was very powerful I believe because of the massage it brings out. The meaning and the moths symbolism are up for interpertation. Some may see the moth as nothing but that a moth. Others may see the wide use of metaphors and grasp its true meaning. Soma may even be able to surpass my visions and see deeper meaning than I did. When I read this passage my dear friend was told he had contracted HIV a day later. I asked him to read it and he, although sad from his condition, greatly enjoyed the passage. I hope you readers do as well.

One can read "The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf by clicking HERE.

How does Woolf incorporate symbolism into her essay?  What is her message in this essay?

In Virginia Woolf's essay death of a moth she uses the moth itself to be symbolic to us humans and life in itself. The message in the essay once the symbolism of the moth is understood is quite clear. The moth flies from side to side on the window pane and the settles once more as everything around the moth continued unaware of its movements. This can be compared to our everyday lives and how although we may stop and stand still or pass away, life continues without us for everyone else. At first she doesn't care much about the moth but later feels sympathy towards it as it laid on its back trying to get upright, she helps it and it eventually dies in that position. She states “Just as life had been strange a few minutes before, so death was now as strange." This shows that she believes that life, such as death, is recognized by us all.

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"Shooting an Elephant"

You can read "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell at the following link:
"Shooting an Elephant"

What is the overall message of Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"?  Consider the term epiphany, which is a moment of clarity and understanding.  Is there such a moment in this story?  If so, what triggers it?

I believe that the overall message of Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" directly related to the story has to do with the fission between the ruling class and peasants as well as that the imperialist power is transformed and morally corrupted by its imperialism. I believe all in all it just has to do with knowing the difference between right and wrong. Considering the term epiphany and its meaning, I believe the narrator gets to this moment in the story as he’s walking down the hill and realizes the elephant is no longer a threat. As he see’s the elephant grazing in the patty fields he comes to realize its out of its “must” phase yet with the big group forming behind him he feels pressured to kill it either way. He is not only forced to kill the elephant pointlessly, since he has to maintain his position of authority and act accordingly, but because of the way the Burman’s treat him, he actually develops hatred for them.

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"Salvation" and "The Distance to the Moon"

"Distance to the Moon" was much more enjoyable to me than "Salvation".

There's an animated short and a full reading by Liev Schreiber of "The Distance to the Moon" at the following links:
Click Here For A Reading of "Distance to the Moon"
Click Here For The Animated Short of "Distance to the Moon"

You can read "Salvation" for yourself at the following link:
"Salvation"

Both stories are about children learning lessons about life. What lessons are learned by the narrators? How are they similar and different? 

In both passages children learn lessons about life. In "Salvation" as the passage opens it is clear that the child has grown and is retelling a story from his childhood. I believe he learns that one shouldn't take everything adults say literally and he also learns that you don't need to see and feel god in order to know that he is present within your life. He also learns that throughout life you will be tested and experience a variety of emotions such as disappointment and guilt but you must continue on. That lesson is learned with age as can be seen with his abandonment of his beliefs when he feels as though he has not been saved. In "The Distance of the Moon" the narrator learns universal emotions. He goes through different stages of such as experiencing jealousy and infidelity. And although things change to him it seems as though the more things change, the more they remain the same. The passages are similar in the sense that within both passages feelings were evoked from the narrators such as disappointment and they grew from their experiences. They are different, I believe, in the sense that one revolved more around emotions and the other around faith. In "Salvation" it seemed as though it was a process he went through to grow up as well as in "The Distance of the Moon". The main difference being that throughout the passage there’s more of a youthful joy and discovery in "The Distance of the Moon" and the undertone is more mature in "Salvation."

"Salvation" is by Langston Hughes
"The Distance of the Moon" is by Italo Calvino

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