Run­On Sentences
Run­on
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.
When a sentence has too many ideas and runs on too long,
it is called a run-on sentence.
Murray takes the train to school Mom rides the bus.
Subject=Murray AND Mom
Verb=takes AND rides
Is it a complete idea? It is TWO complete ideas.
• The first thing you need to do is
identify when a sentence is a run­on.
• A run­on is a sentence that really has
TWO complete ideas INCORRECTLY
combined.
• It is okay to combine two sentences
into one, but you must follow some
rules.
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.
How do you fix run-ons?
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.
This last example is a run­on sentence: Two complete sentences (ideas) incorrectly combined. This sentence lacks signal words which tell the reader when to stop or pause. A part of a sentence that can be a sentence by itself is called an independent clause. This last example has TWO independent clauses.
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Method #2 Use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses. Method #4 Use a semicolon and one of the following words:
Method #3 Use a comma and any one of the following connecting words
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.
Directions: The following sentences are all run‐ons. Correct them using any of the four methods. There may be more than one correct answer. 3. Titanic is my favorite movie I love eating popcorn.
4. Americans shake hands when they meet the Japanese bow.
Get ready for sentence fragments and run­on BINGO!!!!
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Run On:
Extra Assignment:
1) With a partner, you will receive a very long run on
sentence!
2) On a very long strip of paper, you will correct and
rewrite the run on.
3) You will use the four methods for fixing run on's.
You must use each method at least once.
***You will end up with several different sentences when
you are done!
Oh no, here comes Big Mouth Bob he blabbers on
and on like an overactive motor as soon as a
warm body stands next to this chatterbox, he
starts yammering why he never stops to take a
breath in fact, last week when I bumped into Big
Mouth, he began this long tale about how his
shoelace got stuck in the escalator at the mall
well, by the time he finished blubbering about his
near escape from death, the sun had set if you
ever see a freckle-faced dude with a whalesized mouth, run for your life otherwise, you may
be old and gray before Bob finishes talking to
you.
Finished?
1) Underline method #1 in red
2) Underline method #2 in blue
3) Underline method #3 in green
4) Underline method #4 in orange
5) Reread your run on to make sure it is correct.
6) Switch papers with another group. Correct their run
on using the proofreading marks.
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