Run On Sentences

What is a run-on sentence?

A run-on sentence is… a sentence that consists of

two independent clauses that are connected

with punctuation that is unconventional or with no punctuation between them.

What is an independent clause?

An independent clause is one that…

stands by itself as a simple, complete sentence.

contains a subjectcontains a predicate (verb)

EXAMPLES OF INDEPENDENT CLAUSES

John walks.

Cats and dogs sleep a lot.

The room was huge and airy.

The presidential elections caused much consternation for voters this year.

Types of run-on sentences

FUSED

There is NO punctuation between the two independent clauses

Obama was one of the candidates for U. S. president he won the election.

COMMA SPLICESThere is a COMMA placed between the two

independent clauses

Obama held his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, there were thousands ofadmirers in attendance at the event.

Is this a run-on sentence? Obama used the Internet to reach out to

many people, consequently many people voted for him.

YES! The word consequently is a conjunctive

(connecting) adverb which cannot be used to connect two independent clauses.

Sometimes comma splices are created in this way.

CORRECTING RUN-ONS USING CONVENTIONAL

PUNCTUATION

ONE

SEPARATE THE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES INTO TWO SENTENCES

TWO

JOIN THE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES WITH A SEMICOLON OR COLON

THREE

CONNECT THE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES WITH A COMMA AND A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION.

Coordinating conjunctions

FOUR

MAKE ONE OF THE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES INTO A DEPENDENT

CLAUSE A dependent clause cannot stand on its own.

DEPENDENT CLAUSES

Adjective clauses

Adverb clauses

Adjective clauses consist of RELATIVE PRONOUNS + PREDICATE

who used the Internet

which was on the Internet

that caused much consternation

whose use of the Internet

Adverb clauses consist ofSUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION +

SUBJECT + PREDICATE after Obama won the election

although the election caused much consternation

before people votedwhen Obama won

while the elections were going on

FIVE

RESTRUCTURE THE TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES INTO ONE

INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

Turn one of the independent clauses into a phrase thatmodifies the subject in the other independent clause.

SUMMARYSeparate the two independent clauses into two

separate sentences by adding a period.

Use a colon or semicolon to connect one independent clause to the other.

Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to connect the two independent clauses.

Make one independent clause into a dependent clause by using relative pronouns or

subordinating conjunctions.

Restructure the independent clauses into one independent clause.

Adapted by K. Wykes from:

Wysocki, Anne Francis. The DK Handbook.

New York: Pearson Education, 2009.