RUN-ON SENTENCES

Run on sentences happen when two independent clauses run together without any punctuation separating them. Remember, if sentences could stand alone, they have to separated either with a period, a semicolon, or a connecting word:

            John eats at McDonalds almost every night he has started to
            put on a lot  weight.

If you read  this sentence out loud, you will hear two separate sentences, but as you can see, they are fused together.  Run-on sentences can be corrected with a period, a semicolon, or with a connecting word such as a coordinating conjunction (and, or, for, nor, so, yet, but).
 

1. John eats at McDonalds almost every night. He has started to put on a lot of weight.
2. John eats at McDonalds almost every night, so he has started to put on a lot of weight.
3. John eats at McDonalds almost every night; he has started to put on a lot of weight.

RUN-ON SENTENCES EXERCISE

Read the following sentences; if the sentence is correct, mark "C" and correct any run-on sentences you find.  (Remember, reading the sentences out loud can help you identify run-on sentences!)

1. You have to take twelve credits per semester to be considered a full-time student you will probably need to take at least fifteen per semester, however, if you want to graduate on time.

2. When you first begin writing an essay, you should try not to worry too much about grammar and punctuation it is more important that you get as many ideas down on paper as you can.

3. John’s new girlfriend is a vegetarian it’s hard for him because he loves meat.

4. More and more women are waiting until they are older to get married this can make it harder if they want to have children.

5. Many democratic voters worry that his association with Bill Clinton will hurt Al Gore; Gore refuses to say anything bad about Clinton, however.

6. Fifty-five percent of Americans over twenty-years-old are overweight or obese, and the trend is only getting worse.

7. Children should be encouraged to express their creativity this can be done through art, music, or dance. Writing would also be another good option.

8. College students sometimes underestimate the importance of being able to write well if they are science or math majors they assume they will not need to write after they graduate. 

GET THE ANSWERS TO THE RUN-ON SENTENCES EXERCISE!