R EPAIRING R UN - ON S ENTENCES AND C ORRECTING C OMMA S PLICES

Good writing depends on strong sentences— sentences that are clear, concise, interesting, and easy to read. To write strong sentences, you need to be aware of all the options open to you for combining them. You need to recognize and avoid combinations that don’t work, too. Two common errors in sentence-joining: Clauses joined by nothing at all Clauses joined by nothing but a comma

R UN - ON S ENTENCES Two independent clauses with nothing linking them together. Usually makes little sense because unrelated items, unimportant details or extra clauses were added as though the writer didn’t know when to stop. Example: The blind man’s Seeing Eye dog died, and it was a sad occasion, and all the man’s friends went to the funeral then went to the bar and drank to his health and said how unfair it was.

T O R EPAIR R UN - ONS Add a coordinating conjunction ( and, but, for, or, so, nor, yet ) to create a compound sentence. Add a semicolon and, if necessary, a transitional word ( however, therefore, nevertheless, etc.), followed by a comma to create a compound sentence. Add a subordinating conjunction ( because, when, if, although, etc.) to create an adverb dependent clause – complex sentence. Rewrite the sentence and add a relative pronoun ( who, which, that ) to create a relative dependent clause. Make one clause a phrase. Rewrite the sentence to eliminate a clause. Write the clauses as separate sentences.

C OMMA - SPLICED S ENTENCES A comma-spliced sentence unacceptably connects two or more independent clauses with only a comma. This causes the two independent clauses to run together. When your sentences run together, your ideas are garbled. Example: They are going, we are going, also. Commas do not join the independent clauses—because commas separate ideas. Just as you should not splice together electrical wires with masking tape, you should not splice together sentences with commas. The electrical wires should be joined securely in a junction box; the sentences should be joined securely with a conjunction. This mistake is common because writers hear a pause between ideas and mark it with a comma instead of a period.

T O R EPAIR C OMMA S PLICES Insert conjunctions such as and after the comma. Change the comma to a semicolon (with a transitional word if necessary). Insert relative pronouns to create relative dependent clauses. Change the comma to a period and capitalize the next word. Rewrite the sentences.