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Stop!  Stop!  Stop!  

Lesson Topic: Run-On Sentences

Look at the following sentence.

     I saw a teacher who cares.

The author may have wanted to write

     I saw a teacher.  Who cares?

Using periods (and other forms of punctuation) and knowing when to end a sentence are very important.  If you don’t end a sentence appropriately, the intended meaning can be changed, or it can be misunderstood.  Sometimes the meaning is simply incomprehensible. 

When a person learns to write English sentences and compositions, one common problem is writing sentences that are too long.  When a sentence ends too quickly, it is called a sentence fragment.  When a sentence has too many ideas and runs on too long, it is called a run-on sentence.  If you have this problem, don’t worry.  It is quite easy to fix.

The first thing you need to do is identify when a sentence is a run-on.  A run-on (or run-on sentence) is a sentence that has two independent clauses written together without a sufficient amount of signals (commas, semicolons, and connecting words).  This happens because the writer combines two or more sentences together into one sentence.  The following segment was taken from a previous lesson.

What is an independent clause?

An independent clause is a part of a sentence that has both a subject and a verb AND can be a sentence all by itself.  

Example:

     I wanted to go where Frank lives.

What you have above are 2 parts: 

     Part 1 -- I wanted to go

     Part 2 -- where Frank lives

Question: Can part 1 be a sentence by itself?  Does part 1 need part 2?  Not really.  Although part 2 certainly adds important information, part 1 could still be a sentence by itself. The following sentence is grammatically and logically correct.

     I wanted to go.

Because part 1 does not need anything else to be a complete sentence, we call it an independent clause. 

Now look at part 2.  Can part 2 be a sentence by itself?  Can one write the following sentence?

     Where Frank lives.

Is this a complete sentence?  No.  It needs something else.  It is, therefore, a dependent clause. 

Summary

If you put two sentences or independent clauses together without a sufficient amount of signals (commas, semicolons, or connecting words), you have created a run-on.  Take a look at the following example.

     Carmen loved traveling to Italy she felt Rome was too hot.

This sentence has two independent clauses combined into one sentence.

      Part 1:  Carmen loved traveling to Italy

      Part 2:  she felt Rome was too hot.

How do you fix it?

There are four common ways to fix a run-on.  Each method is explained below.

Method #1

Write the two independent clauses as separate sentences using periods.

Method #2

Use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses.  If you would like to learn more about semicolons, click here.

Method #3

Use a comma and any one of the following connecting words:

*when for means because

**when so means as a result

Method #4

Use a semicolon and one of the following words:

NOTE: If you use any of these connecting words with method #4, a comma must follow it.

NOTE: When using semicolons, the two independent clauses must share a related or common idea.  You cannot write the following sentence.

     Christine loves hot chocolate; I am watching TV.  

These two clauses are completely unrelated. 

Quiz

Directions:  The following sentences are all run-ons.  Correct them using any of the four methods.  There may be more than one correct answer.

1. The girls played basketball the boys played tennis.

2. Einstein is famous for E=mc²  Edison is famous for the invention of the light bulb.

3. Titanic is my favorite movie I love eating popcorn.

4. Americans shake hands when they meet the Japanese bow.

5. Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.

6. William loved visiting Montreal Sally preferred just to stay in Quebec.

7. My car broke down I need to buy a new one.

8. At one time few people had enough money to buy books few people could read books.

9. I want to learn Korean Trudy wants to learn Turkish.

10. People love peace they hate war.  

     Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio they loved  experimenting with flying machines they built the Wright Flyer in 1903.

This sentence is a run-on with three independent clauses.  We can use various combinations of the above methods to fix the problem.  By applying methods 4 and 1, we get 

     Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio; however, they loved experimenting with flying machines.  They built the Wright Flyer in 1903.

Don't string several independent clauses together with semicolons.  The following example is usually not written.

     Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio; they loved  experimenting with flying machines; they built the Wright Flyer in 1903.

Also, don't overuse any one method.  Correctly using different methods often shows good writing.  When a person first learns to write, he/she uses method 1 extensively.  It is important for the writer to go beyond method 1 and use the other methods.  This will show a maturity in the author's writing.