Run-on Sentences
A Power Point
presentation
with examples and
exercises
© Laura Torres 2013 all rights reserved.
www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Laura-Torres
image courtesy of artemisphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What is a run-on
sentence?
A sentence is a run-on when two
independent clauses, or complete
sentences, are run together with no
punctuation or incorrect punctuation.
No Punctuation
There is a day set aside every year, National
Doughnut Day, to celebrate America’s favorite pastry
it is on the first Friday in June.
The sentence above is actually two independent
clauses run together without any punctuation.
There is a day set aside every year, National
Doughnut Day, to celebrate America’s favorite pastry
and
it is on the first Friday in June.
No Punctuation
Here is another example of two independent clauses
run together without any punctuation.
Doughnut is the accepted spelling of the pastry donut
is also listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as
an alternative spelling.
Doughnut is the accepted spelling of the pastry
and
donut is also listed in the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary as an alternative spelling.
Incorrect Punctuation
Americans consume over 10 billion doughnuts every
year, Canadians have the most doughnut shops per
capita.
The sentence above has two independent clauses
separated by a comma. This is a called a comma
splice, and is a type of run-on sentence.
Americans consume over 10 billion doughnuts every
year, Canadians have the most doughnut shops per
capita.
Incorrect Punctuation
Here is another example of a comma splice.
People watching their weight often avoid doughnuts,
but a standard glazed doughnut has 270 calories, a
plain bagel has 320 calories.
People watching their weight often avoid doughnuts,
but a standard glazed doughnut has
270 calories, a plain bagel has
320 calories.
photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How to correct a run-on
Here are the three easiest ways to correct a run-on.
I love doughnuts I eat them for breakfast.
Separate the independent clauses with a period:
I love doughnuts. I eat them for breakfast.
Separate the independent clauses with a semicolon:
I love doughnuts; I eat them for breakfast.
How to correct a run-on
Separate the independent clauses with a coordinating
conjuction and a comma:
I love doughnuts, and I eat them for breakfast.
The coordinating conjunctions are the FANBOYS.
For
And
Nor
But
Orr
Yet
Soi
Find and correct the run-on sentences in
the following paragraph:
The largest doughnut on record was made in Utica,
New York, on January 21, 1993 by a team of bakers,
they created a jelly doughnut weighing in at 1.7 tons.
That’s 3739 pounds. It was 16 feet in diameter and 16
inches tall. According to the Guinness Book of World
Records, the tallest stack of doughnuts was made on
July 25, 2007. It was constructed to celebrate the
premier of The Simpsons Movie at the offices of Capital
Radio in Leicester Square, London, UK. Eight people
built the pyramid-shaped stack it was 43.5 inches tall.
They used 1,764 doughnuts, that’s a lot of doughnuts,
even for Homer Simpson.
Run-on sentences are in purple:
The largest doughnut on record was made in Utica,
New York, on January 21, 1993 by a team of bakers,
they created a jelly doughnut weighing in at 1.7 tons.
That’s 3739 pounds. It was 16 feet in diameter and 16
inches tall. According to the Guinness Book of World
Records, the tallest stack of doughnuts was made on
July 25, 2007. It was constructed to celebrate the
premier of The Simpsons Movie at the offices of Capital
Radio in Leicester Square, London, UK. Eight people
built the pyramid-shaped stack it was 43.5 inches tall.
They used 1,764 doughnuts, that’s a lot of doughnuts,
even for Homer Simpson.
Corrected:
The largest doughnut on record was made in Utica,
New York, on January 21, 1993 by a team of bakers.
They created a jelly doughnut weighing in at 1.7 tons.
That’s 3739 pounds. It was 16 feet in diameter and 16
inches tall. According to the Guinness Book of World
Records, the tallest stack of doughnuts was made on
July 25, 2007. It was constructed to celebrate the
premier of The Simpsons Movie at the offices of Capital
Radio in Leicester Square, London, UK. Eight people
built the pyramid-shaped stack, and it was 43.5 inches
tall. They used 1,764 doughnuts; that’s a lot of
doughnuts, even for Homer Simpson.
The End
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photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net