Comma splice? Correct or incorrect?

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9maven9

#561777 Wed, 03 Sep 08 01:20 AM

This is my first post, so please forgive me if I have used the wrong format.
I frequently find sentences with a comma joining a gerund phrase, such as

Family conflicts are often heightened by immigration stress, creating intergenerational and intercultural conflict.

But, to my understanding, this construction is a comma splice. Am I understanding the rules correctly or have a missed an exception?
Thank you,

9maven9

Joined on Tue, Sep 2 2008

New Member (03)

Constructions, Gerunds, Commas, Comma, Gerund, Comma Splice, Exceptions

Anonymous

#561779 Wed, 03 Sep 08 01:40 AM

A comma splice is to connect two independent sentences. creating intergenerational and intercultural conflict is a dependent clause which describes the situation, and thus it's okay, I suppose.

Anonymous

Clauses, Commas

Avangi

#561791 Wed, 03 Sep 08 03:13 AM

Hi, Maven. Welcome to the English Forums. Thanks for joining us!

What you have is correct - an independent clause followed by a phrase.

The comma splice rule applies in situations where a conjunction is needed instead of, or in addition to the comma. She came in, she closed the door. She came in, she forgot to close the door.