(1) FUSED SENTENCES

• This type of Run-On has  2 INDEPENDENT CLAUSES fused without proper punctuation

• The popular country singer had emergency surgery he cancelled the show at the state fair.

• *SO, HOW DO I FIX IT?!

  • a) simply supply the proper punctuation:

    • The popular country singer had emergency surgery; he cancelled the show at the state fair.

      • (semicolon used to join 2 independent clauses)

    • The popular country singer had emergency surgery, so he cancelled the show at the state fair.

      • (comma and coordinating conjunction—“coordination”)

  • b) transform one of the sentences into a Dependent Clause via “subordination”:

    • Because the popular country singer had emergency surgery, he cancelled the show at the state fair.

  • c) rewrite the whole mess:

    • The popular country singer cancelled the show at the state fair because he had emergency surgery.

(2) RUN ON and ON and ON

• This type of Run-On has 3 or more independent clauses joined together.

• No more than 2 independent clauses can form a single sentence.

  • I went to the video store and I selected three movies and I looked at the video games, too.

• *SO, HOW DO I FIX IT?!

  • a) simply keep 2 IC together and punctuate the third as its own sentence.

    • If 2 = good BUT 3 or more = bad, then simply get rid of 1.

    • I went to the video store, and I selected three movies. I looked at the video games, too.

  • b) transform one of the IC into a DC through subordination.

    • When I went to the video store, I selected three movies, and I looked at the video games, too.

  • c) rewrite the whole mess, combining ideas.

    • When I went to the video store, I selected three movies and looked at the video games.

1. STOP:

• If someone is rambling on and on and on, stop him or her from talking after each significant point.

• In the case of writing sentences, break up the ramblings into grammatically acceptable complete thoughts.

• Just remember the rule of thumb: 

  • only 2 complete thoughts per sentence.

  • so if a Run-On = 3+ independent clauses, drop 1 of them

2. COORDINATION:

• Use proper punctuation between complete thoughts:

• coordination: 

  • join 2 independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction

  • to form a compound sentence

    • comma + coordinating conjunction (, and)

  • and, but, yet, or, nor, for, so

• semicolon:

  • join 2 related independent clauses with a semicolon

  • use (;) instead of (, and)

3. SUBORDINATION:

• Use subordination to show relationships between ideas (i.e., cause/effect).

• if, when, since, although, because

• if you had 3 independent clauses in the Run-On, you can make one of those clauses into a subordinate clause (a dependent clause), resulting in 1 DC + 2 IC

4. REWRITE:

• Use the Backspace button to start over; delete the whole mess and begin again.

• typically through #3

5. FUSED:

• In the case of FUSED Sentences,

  • in which you have 2 independent clauses fused without proper punctuation,

• merely use the proper punctuation.

  • typically, #2 - coordination

    • with either the comma + CC (, and)

    • or the semicolon (;)

• PLEASE NOTE: 

  • Do not try to fix this type of Run-On with a comma --

  • this creates one error while trying to fix another

  • a Comma Splice