Clauses, Phrases, and Run-On Sentences

Run-On Sentences

By Jon Steenbeke

Complete Sentences

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​A complete sentence has a subject and a verb or predicate. There are lots of different ways to make complete sentences, including using commas and semicolons to put together independent and dependent clauses.

Clauses

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​A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand on its own. A dependent clause cannot.

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Take this sentence: “After we got under the covers, I told my little sister scary stories.”

It has two clauses. “I told my little sister scary stories” is an independent clause. “After we got under the covers” is a dependent clause.

Subject | Subject

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​Sometimes a sentence has two independent clauses put together without proper punctuation.

This is a mistake. It’s called a run-on sentence.

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You can think of it as a sentence that just keeps going, or just keeps running on.

But remember, run-on sentences aren’t necessarily long sentences.

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Any sentence that contains two or more complete thoughts that need to be separated is a run-on.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a run-on sentence?

• I like eating chocolate oranges.

• After the dance ended we went home to watch movies.

• Soccer is my favorite sport I love watching the World Cup on TV.

• Kelly is a figure skater, and one day she wants to compete in the Olympics.

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​One way to fix a run-on sentence is to make it into a compound sentence by adding a comma and a coordinating conjunction:

for, and, nor, but, or yet, so.

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Take this run-on sentence:

“I love drinking lemonade in the summer it is so sweet and cool.”

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To fix the run-on, you could add a comma and a conjunction:

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“I love drinking lemonade in the summer, for it is so sweet and cool.”

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​Simply putting a comma in without a coordinating conjunction would look like this:

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“I love drinking lemonade in the summer, it is so sweet and cool.”

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This creates another kind of run-on sentence error called a

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comma splice.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sentences does not show a comma splice?

• Pedro loves dogs, he wants to get a Labrador and name it Rudy.

• Sebastian has been playing guitar for years, he will soon start his own band.

• Alison can’t stand eating butternut squash, she thinks squash is mushy and gross.

• Rosie builds robots in her garage, but she is afraid that one day they will take over the world.

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​Another way to fix a run-on sentence is simply to make it two sentences by adding a period.

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Take this run-on:

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“My computer must have a bug it keeps crashing.”

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You could change it to:

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“My computer must have a bug. It keeps crashing.”

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​Another way to fix a run-on sentence is to add a semicolon.

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If you add a semicolon to the sentence above, it would look like this:

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“My computer must have a bug; it keeps crashing.”

​But be careful with semicolons. They can only be used to fix run-on sentences where the two clauses are closely related. In the case of the sentence above, the idea that the computer has a bug and the fact that it keeps crashing are linked.

If the two clauses are not closely related, the sentence can’t be fixed with a semicolon.

Multiple Choice

If you want to fix a run-on sentence by adding a semicolon, the clauses

• must be closely connected.

• don’t have to be connected.

• need a coordinating conjunction between them.

• must be a dependent and an independent clause.

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​It is good to avoid run-on sentences in your formal writing because they can make your writing hard to read and understand.

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Try reading this run-on sentence out loud:

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“I woke up I got dressed I hit the skate park I went home to play on my computer.”

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If it sounds wrong out loud, or if you run out of breath in the middle, it’s a clue that there might be something wrong with the structure of your sentence.

Multiple Choice

What is one reason to avoid run-on sentences in your formal writing?

• They can be used for artistic effect.

• They mimic people’s speech patterns.

• They can fit with the flow of a poem or rap.

• They can make your writing confusing and hard to follow.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a run-on sentence?

• Taylor put on his rain boots before he went outside.

• The sky was clear, but the air was still misty and wet.

• It had rained all night, so the street was full of puddles.

• Taylor found the first big puddle he stomped and splashed with glee.

Multiple Choice

A comma splice occurs when

• commas are used to connect independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

• there are no commas in a sentence that needs commas.

• a comma is inserted in the wrong part of a sentence

• there are more than three commas in a sentence.

Multiple Select

Which of the following is a way to correct a run-on sentence?

• Make it into two sentences using a period.

• Create a compound sentence by using a semicolon.

• Form a compound sentence with a comma and coordinating conjunction.

• Connect the two clauses using a comma.

Multiple Choice

I love making pie and cake I want to start my own gluten-free bakery.

Which of the following shows the correct way to fix this sentence using a comma?

• I want to start my own gluten-free bakery, I love making pie and cake.

• I love making pie and cake, I want to start my own gluten-free bakery.

• I love making pie and cake, so I want to start my own gluten-free bakery.

• I love making pie and cake, when I grow up I want to start my own gluten free bakery.

Multiple Choice

Fixing a run-on sentence involves adding the proper

• verbs.

• punctuation.

• part of speech.

• independent clause.

Multiple Choice

True or False: In order to use a semicolon to fix a run-on sentence, the clauses must be closely related.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Jamice had worked for years to become a zoologist it all paid off when she held her first baby tiger.

Where should the punctuation go to fix this run-on sentence?

• between “it all paid off” and “when she held”

• between “when she held” and “her first baby tiger”

• between “to become a zoologist” and “it all paid off”

• between “worked for years” and “to become a zoologist”

Multiple Choice

Dominic wanted to be a pilot the only problem was he was afraid of heights.

Which of these could you use to fix this sentence?

• period only

• semicolon only

• comma with conjunction only

• period or comma with conjunction

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sentences has a comma splice?

• Bernice was secretly a superhero, she couldn’t tell anyone at school.

• Damon was Bernice’s archrival, but he was also her partner in math class.

• Damon was a supervillain, for he loved nothing more than plotting mayhem.

• Damon and Bernice had to pretend to get along at school so that no one would guess their secret identities.

Open Ended

Fix the run-on sentence:

Ms. Ashley is fighting a bear she is actually winning.

Open Ended

Fix the run-on sentence:

Mr. Jon is opening the jar of jam, he is so burly.

Open Ended

Fix the run-on sentence:

Ms. April loves math she loves giving lots of homework.

Open Ended

Fix the run-on sentence with comma and conjunction:

Mr. Jon is a great teacher he is not cheap.