If your instructor indicates that you have composed a run-on sentence what does that mean? Some students think that a run-on must be a very long sentence that is boring and endless. More precisely a run-on blurs together one or more sentences with no punctuation. Writing that contains run-ons can be confusing to read, so it is an important error over which to gain some control.
Below is an example of a run-on sentence, two sentences, incorrectly fused together with no punctuation:
The dog sits longingly at the back door someone should take him for a walk.
Here are a few ways to correct the run-on sentence:
#1 Use a Period
The dog sits longingly at the back door. Someone should take him for a walk.
#2 Use a Semicolon
The dog sits longingly at the back door; someone should take him for a walk.
#3 Use a Coordinating Conjunction
The dog sits longingly at the back door, so someone should take him for a walk.
(Note: Add the comma when you use a coordinating conjunction)
#4 Use a Subordinating Conjunction
Since the dog sits longingly at the back door, someone should take him for a walk.
Created by Joanna S. Fortna, 2011
Revised by Joseph Dery, 2019
