Listen Up, The Internet

OK, The Internet, listen up:

A comma splice means that you have "spliced" two independent clauses together with a comma, creating a sentence that is not a sentence. This is simply something you may not do. For example, were you to find yourself writing on the topic of, say, cocktails, you might opine:

What you want there in lieu of your second comma is probably a semicolon, which has full authority to join those two perfectly fine independent clauses into a single sentence. Alternately, you could add a conjunction ("...rich dessert, and it's impolite..."). You might even simply separate your independent clauses into two perfectly fine independent sentences. It's your choice, really. But a comma splice just will not do, ever.

That is all.