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Run-on Sentences
Recognize poorly coordinated and excessively lengthy sentences 
What is a Run-on Sentence?
A run-on sentence does as its name says—runs on and on as a series of poorly coordinated ideas with little or no marking of sentence boundaries. Often the series of ideas is lengthy, hard to follow, and has logic gaps. Read the following example.
Jack invited some friends over to his place because he lives centrally and we watched the big soccer game and it was so fun because we cheered and shouted after each goal and joked about the bad players and after a while Jack's refrigerator was empty so we went to the store and ordered some pizza and sandwiches because we were so hungry after watching the game and then left his house to meet some friends in town. It was a great day and I really enjoyed watching the game and being with those fun guys.
boundary (N) – limit, the place where one entity ends and the next begins.
Strategies for avoiding run-on sentences are the following:
- simplify sentences into discrete ideas (one idea = one sentence).
- coordinate sentences when there is a relationship between the ideas of the two clauses (e.g., addition, reason, contrast, purpose, concession).
- end a sentence (punctuate it / take a breath) before beginning the next sentence with (1) a new idea, (2) a third or fourth idea (too many add-ons in a series), or (3) an unrelated idea.
| SIMPLE |
|---|
A simple sentence includes a subject and a predicate. A predicate includes a verb and possibly an object + complement. See Word Functions. |
| ONE IDEA / ONE CLAUSE / ONE SENTENCE |
Jack invited friends over. |
They watched a soccer game. |
They jeered all the bad plays. |
Jack went to the store for more drinks. |
They drank all the root beer in his fridge. |
| SIMPLE WITH COORDINATED ELEMENTS |
|---|
The conjunction and can join similar elements within a sentence: subjects, verbs, objects, prepositional phrases, etc. |
| ONE IDEA / ONE CLAUSE (WITH COORDINATED ELEMENTS) |
Jack and I invited friends over. (double subject) |
Jack invited and welcomed friends over for the game. (double verb) |
Jack invited friends and ordered pizza for the game. (double predicate) |
Jack ordered pizza and sandwiches for the game. (double object) |
Jack ordered pizza and sandwiches for the game and for that evening. (double prepositional phrases) |
fridge – refrigerator;
jeer – express disapproval
Related pages: Clauses (basic examples) and FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions)
Also see Bulleted Lists for seriation in lists.
Coordinated Sentences
Two or more clauses share a central idea
Coordinate sentences—when there is a relationship between them
| COORDINATING CONJUNCTION |
|---|
Two independent clauses with different subjects and closely related central ideas may be joined with a coordinating conjunction (e.g., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) A comma is placed before the coordinator. See FANBOYS. |
Jack invited friends over, and they came to watch the game |
They cheered for their team, but the team lost. |
The game ended, yet they stayed stayed anyway. |
They drank all his beer, so Jack had to go out for more. |
| COORDINATED WITH A SEMICOLON |
|---|
Two independent clauses with different subjects and closely related central ideas may also be joined with a semicolon. The relationship between the two sentences (i.e., addtion, contrast, result) must be guessed from the context. |
Jack invited friends over; they came to watch the game |
They cheered for their team; the team lost. |
The game ended; they stayed stayed anyway. |
They drank all his beer; Jack had to go out for more. |
Traditionally called "compound" sentences. (See Grammar Notes.) In current linguistic description, "compound" is limited to the joining of two words: sweetheart, blackbird, copycat, egghead, socio-economic, etc.) Also ee Hyphens.
Also see FANBOYS coordinators.
Run-on Sentences
Two or more clauses do not share a central idea
End a sentence—before beginning a new idea
| LENGTHY |
|---|
A series of related and unrelated ideas is called a "stream of consciousness". Joining these ideas into an endless sentence is a very hard to follow and comprehend. Organize your ideas. Make sure each sentence expresses a complete thought. Mark the end of the sentence with punctuation. Let your ideas unroll in a logical and clear manner. |
| A STRING OF IDEAS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES |
Jack invited some friends over to his place because he lives centrally and we watched the big soccer game and it was so fun because we cheered and shouted after each goal and joked about the bad players and after a while Jack's refrigerator was empty so we went to the store and ordered some pizza and sandwiches because we were so hungry after watching the game and then left his house to meet some friends in town. It was a great day and I really enjoyed watching the game and being with those fun guys. |
| SEPARATED IDEAS |
|
| UNRELATED / RELATED | |
|---|---|
Joining two or more clauses without a shared central idea requires the listener or reader to guess what the relationship is. (This is called "a logic gap".) It is better to end a clause that has a clear idea than to try to add on to it and risk confusion. Also, it is much easier to reorganize simple sentences during the editing process. They can be coordinated later. |
|
| CLAUSE 1 | UNRELATED CLAUSE 2 |
Jack invited friends over to his place |
*because he lives centrally. (?) to watch the big soccer game. (purpose)
|
| CLAUSE 1 | WELL-RELATED CLAUSE 2 |
Jack invited friends over to his place. His place was ideal |
because it is centrally located to the homes of his friends.
|
| CLAUSE 1 | UNRELATED CLAUSE 2 |
After a while, Jack's refrigerator was empty |
*so we went to the store and ordered some pizza and sandwiches because we were so hungry after watching the game. because someone took everything out of it. (why?)
|
| WELL-RELATED CLAUSE 1 | CLAUSE 2 |
After we had eaten everything in Jack's refrigerator, |
we went to the store and ordered some pizza and sandwiches because we were so hungry after watching the game.
|
Related punctuation pages Semicolons, Periods, Commas.
Exceptions
Expressions with a comma splice
The ... , the ... (acceptable comma "splices")
| EXPRESSIONS |
|---|
The following expressions do not follow the usual rules for punctuation. These paired comparative (more, -er) phrases are separated by a comma and do not include a connector. [the + comparative + subject + verb] |
The more he lied, the longer his nose grew. |
The older I get, the happier I am. |
The more we saw them, the more we liked them. |
The harder I try, the more difficult it becomes. |
The longer I wait, the angrier I get. |
The stranger the story, the better the movie. |
| MEANINGS |
|---|
The understood relationship is "more of X causes more of ". |
His lying caused his nose to grow longer. (Pinocchio) |
I become happier as I grow older. |
We liked them more as we got to know them. |
Even though I try hard, it remains very difficult. |
I'm getting angrier as each minute passes. |
Strange stories make more interesting movies. |
Related page: The more.
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
| ERROR | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
|
|
Jack cheered his team but they lost. |
Jack cheered his team, (comma) but they lost. |
Jack worked on his computer and he went to the gym. |
Jack worked on his computer and [Jack] went to the gym.
|
My friend and I blogged and read over his shoulder. |
My friend blogged, and I read over his shoulder. |
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional / ESL and Linguistic Descriptions
| TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR | LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
In traditional grammar, a conjunction and a coordinating conjunction differ in that a conjunction joins grammatically alike sub-clausal elements, whereas a coordinating conjunction joins grammatically alike clausal elements. (Azar 16-4) (Swan 510.1-2) |
In linguistic description, "coordination is the relation between elements of equal syntactic status, and as such contrast with subordination [unequal syntactic structure]." "Properties of prototypical coordinators" (Huddleston 15 §2.1) |
conjunction – is a term for a word that joins two like elements, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or phrases (but not clauses).
|
conjunction – is a logic function of A + B "both"; ("and" and sometimes "or") Caffeine is found in coffee and tea. Caffeine is found in coffee or tea. ("both"). |
coordinating conjunctions —for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so — join independent clauses. The resulting construction is a compound sentence.
|
coordinators — and, but, or, and nor— join a variety of syntactically alike structures both sub-clausal (NP, VP, AdjP, AdvP, etc.) and clausal. symmetric constructions – He got up and he poured some coffee. (Clause + Clause) conditional constructions with and – Look at it and you'll see what I mean. (Huddleston 15 §2.2.2.4) |
compound sentence– In traditional grammar, the joining of two independent clauses is called a compound sentence. |
In current linguistic description, "compound" is limited to the joining of two words: sweetheart, blackbird, copycat, egghead, socio-economic, etc.) See Hyphens compounds. |
CATEGORIES: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective: Clause – nonfinite / finite
Works Cited
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
- Fowler's Modern English Usage. R. W. Burchfield and H. W. Fowler, revised 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2004.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Reprint ed., Merriam-Webster, 1994.
- The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed., U of Chicago P, 2010.
- The Gregg Reference Manual. Edited by William A. Sabin, 11th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2011.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Practice 1
TV Soccer Fan
Identify whether the sentence is a run-on or a sentence.
- Select a response correct or incorrect.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.
Practice 2
Soccer Fan
Read for Errors
I went to a soccer game today it was exciting. I cheered for my team but they didn't win. My team was playing pretty well and the other team was too. Both offense and defense played well but were unlucky. One player fouled another player and the referee blew his whistle. The striker kicked the ball to the goal but it hit the post.
The goalie caught the ball, he threw it to a teammate. The player hit it with his shoulder the referee didn't see it. One guy he fell down and he grabbed his leg as if he was hurt. The players made some great shots it was exciting. The scores of both teams were close I thought they might tie. The later it got the more anxious we became.
defense (N) – players protecting the goal
offense (N) – players attacking the goal (trying to make a goal)
referee (N) – person who judges the fairness of a play
Edit the sentence for run-on errors.
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check 11-20" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.