You may be wondering, what is a run-on sentence?

A run-on sentence is a common mistake that pupils make in their writing. It consists of two or more independent clauses that are run together without proper punctuation. (An independent clause is a clause that can stand by itself as a complete sentence.) As a general rule, one sentence should have no more than two independent clauses.

Let’s take a look at this run-on sentence:

How to fix it:

Another instance of a run-on sentence is when it lacks a coordinating conjunction. To fix this error, connect the two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). However, when doing so, remember to include a comma before the coordinating conjunction.

Sometimes, we speak in run-on sentences. However, we add pauses and change our tone so that the people we are speaking to can understand us. When we write, however, no one can hear us and the only way to indicate pause is to use appropriate punctuation. Hence, your child needs to be careful and ensure that he or she does not write in the style he or she speaks.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If a sentence is long, it does not necessarily mean the sentence is a run-on. A sentence may be long but grammatically correct. For example:

Remember…

A good composition should be written with sentences of varying lengths. To achieve this, your child should ensure that he or she has a good mix of short and long sentences. However, when writing longer sentences, your child should count the number of ideas in each sentence to ensure that he or she is not writing a run-on sentence.

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