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Run-on sentence is
an umbrella term that encompasses both sentences that have been
joined up improperly with no punctuation and comma splices,
which are sentences that have been joined up improperly with a comma.
Run-On: The
haunted house is especially scary this year little kids might not
want to come.Comma Splice: Sharon desperately wanted to make the hockey team, she practiced for hours every day.
Comma Splice: We considered going to the football game, however, in the end we decided it was too cold outside.
There are a few ways to fix run ons and comma splices.
One of the simplest methods is to use a semicolon between the two
independent clauses.
• The haunted house is especially scary
this year; little kids might not want to come.
• Sharon desperately wanted to make the
hockey team; she practiced for hours every day.
You can also fix comma splices by adding a conjunction
after the comma.
• Sharon desperately wanted to make the
hockey team, and she practiced for hours every day.
Finally, you can fix comma splices by making one clause
subordinate to the other—which is a fancy way of saying you can
fix the problem by making the relationship between the two clauses
more clear.
• Although we considered going to the
football game, in the end we decided it was too cold outside.
You might notice that comma splices are rampant in
respected newspapers, celebrated novels, and so on.
• He was brash, he was arrogant, he was
utterly charming.
• It’s not you, it’s me.
If you’re a talented writer who has a firm grasp on
grammar, you might want to use comma splices occasionally for dramatic
effect. In general, though, comma splices should be avoided.
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