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A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunction. A comma splice is a common type of run-on sentence. To fix it, replace the comma with a semicolon, conjunction, or subordinating conjunction. Vary sentence length and avoid using too many conjunctions. Check if the sentence has two separate subjects and verbs.
A run-on sentence joins at least two independent clauses without a conjunction or adequate punctuation. An independent clause has a subject and a verb and could essentially be a sentence on its own. For example, you could write, “I like ice cream, it’s really good.” There are essentially two independent clauses here, which could be written as two separate sentences. “I like ice cream. It tastes really good.”
One of the most common types of run-on sentences is called a comma splice. Occurs when a comma separates two independent clauses. So we’d have, “I like ice cream, it tastes really good.” There are a few ways to deal with a comma junction and eliminate run-on. If you think the two independent clauses must exist in the same sentence, you can replace the comma with a semicolon. Alternatively, you can separate the two clauses using a conjunction. In this example you would use the word “and”: “I like ice cream and it’s really good.”
Another way to attack the run-on sentence is to replace the comma with a subordinating conjunction. This essentially turns one of the clauses into a dependent clause. In this case we could use “because”. Our sentence would become: “I like ice cream because it tastes really good. The word “because” makes the second independent clause dependent. It can no longer stand on its own. “Because it tastes really good,” is not a sentence.
Depending on the sentence type, one might look into other subordinating conjunctions that would fix a run-on sentence. These include: after, although, why, how, if, while, even if, since, until and when. Subordinating conjunctions hold two thoughts together in a sentence, which is often what the person perpetuating the sentence strives for.
To help eliminate sentence run-on from your written work, you can run a little check on each sentence. Ask yourself the following:
Does my sentence have two separate subjects and two separate (unhelpful) verbs? Does my sentence have two independent clauses joined by a comma?
A run-on sentence can also be applied to sentences that tend to go too far. For example, you don’t want to keep adding conjunctions and lengthening a sentence. “I like ice cream because it tastes good and I really think it improves my mood and I get it for free when I go skating.” This type of sentence is a run-on because it used too many conjunctions. Separating the independent clauses serves the reader. Help clarify each point. Too many “ands” in this case obscure the point and the reader is lost.
In general, you want to avoid this type of run-on sentence by varying the length of the sentence. You could write, “I like ice cream because it tastes good and improves my mood. Plus, I get it for free when I go skating. Try to keep each thought concise or reduce the sentence in other ways. Instead of, “I like ice cream, I like skating, and I like eating to improve my mood, consider, “I like ice cream, skating, and eating to improve my mood. Try to join no more than two independent clauses with commas and conjunctions together to avoid such sentences. Also avoid repeating the same subject and verb to simplify the sentence.
