Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentences can be a common grammar blunder. This resource will help you recognize, avoid, and fix run-on sentences!
What is a Run-On Sentence?
A run-on sentence is one that contains too many thoughts for the punctuation it uses. It either lacks the necessary punctuation or simply must be separated into multiple sentences. These are also called fused sentences. You are making a run-on when you put two complete sentences (a subject and its verb and another subject and its verb) together in one sentence without separating them properly.
Examples
My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.
I love to read, it is my hobby.
A reason why people overeat is they become addicted to sugar this causes obesity.
Many children spend hours in front of screens watching movies makes them anti-social.
These sentences are run-ons because they are missing punctuation or use inappropriate punctuation.
How to Find and Fix Run-ons
To solve this problem, writers should separate the clauses using a combination of punctuation, dependent clause markers, and/or conjunctions. Fixing a run-on sentence is an opportunity to clarify your meaning to your readers.
Examples
My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus because it is very garlicky.
I love to read. It is my hobby.
A reason why people overeat is they become addicted to sugar; this causes obesity.
Many children spend hours in front of screens, and watching movies makes them anti-social.
A Checklist to Remember
- Remember the basics: subject, verb, complete thought.
- Find the boundaries of each complete thought (independent clauses).
- Separate each complete thought.
- Consider the relationship between each thought, recombining them as desired with appropriate conjunctions/punctuation or by making one of the independent clauses dependent.
Kaylan | 2019
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