A run-on sentence consists of two sentences separated by no mark of punctuation at all.
EX: The school bell rang at 3 o’clock the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
The preceding sentence is a run-on sentence because the author hasn’t put a period at the end of the first sentence, before the second.
Comma Splices
A comma splice consists of two sentences separated by a comma, thus joining them incorrectly.
EX: The school bell rang at 3 o’clock, the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
The preceding sentence is a comma splice because the author put a comma at the end of the first sentence, before the second, thus incorrectly joining the two sentences.
Use the following rules to solve run-ons and comma splices:
1.Put a period between the sentences.
The school bell rang at 3 o’clock. The children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
2.Put a semicolon between the sentences.
The school bell rang at 3 o’clock; the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
3.Put a coordinating conjunction with a comma between the sentences. (Use the FANBOYS when applying this rule.)
The school bell rang at 3 o’clock, so the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
4.Use a subordinating conjunction with a comma when needed. (Use your list of subordinating conjunctions when applying this rule.)
When the school bell rang at 3 o’clock, the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
The school bell rang at 3 o’clock while the children jumped up and shouted joyfully.
Correcting Run-ons and Comma Splices Activity
Use four ways to correct the following run-on sentences and comma splices
- Bill sent a beautiful bouquet of flowers Loretta refused to forgive him.
Insert a period:
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Insert a semicolon:
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Insert a coordinating conjunction:
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Insert a subordinating conjunction:
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- It rained all day, my yard looked like a pond.
Insert a period:
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Insert a semicolon:
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Insert a coordinating conjunction:
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Insert a subordinating conjunction:
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- Bring your own coffee supplies the department cannot afford to purchase them anymore.
Insert a period:
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Insert a semicolon:
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Insert a coordinating conjunction:
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Insert a subordinating conjunction:
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- Children played joyfully at the playground, their mothers watched that they didn’t wander far.
Insert a period:
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Insert a semicolon: ___________________________________________________________________
Insert a coordinating conjunction:
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Insert a subordinating conjunction:
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- I love owning a dog that doesn’t include yappy little ones like Chihuahuas.
Insert a period:
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Insert a semicolon:
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Insert a coordinating conjunction:
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Insert a subordinating conjunction:
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