Run-on sentence: Difference between revisions
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**''My car is out of gas we cannot reach town before dark.'' |
**''My car is out of gas we cannot reach town before dark.'' |
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*A [[comma splice]], which is considered a run-on sentence in English by some usage experts: |
*A [[comma splice]], which is considered a run-on sentence in English by some usage experts: |
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**''It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. |
**''It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. This information is pointless. |
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==Linguistics== |
==Linguistics== |
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Revision as of 19:58, 9 April 2012
A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction. It is generally considered a stylistic error, though it is occasionally used in literature and may be used as a rhetorical device. An example of a run-on is a comma splice, in which two independent clauses are joined with a comma without an accompanying coordinating conjunction.[1][2] Some prescriptivists exclude comma splices from the definition of a run-on sentence,[3] though this does not imply that they consider comma splices to be acceptable.
The mere fact that a sentence is long does not make it a run-on sentence; sentences are run-ons only when they contain more than one independent clause. A run-on sentence can be as short as four words—for instance: I drive she walks. In this case there are two independent clauses: two subjects paired with two intransitive verbs. So as long as clauses are punctuated appropriately, a writer can assemble multiple independent clauses in a single sentence; in fact, a properly constructed sentence can be extended indefinitely.
Examples
- A run-on sentence, with no punctuation or conjunction between "gas" and "we":
- My car is out of gas we cannot reach town before dark.
- A comma splice, which is considered a run-on sentence in English by some usage experts:
- It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. This information is pointless.
Linguistics
In various ancient languages of literary uses, run-on sentences were unheard of since no punctuation existed. Examples would be Sumerian and Akkadian as well as east Asian scripts such as classical Chinese.
Remedies
- Use separate sentences. However, this may disconnect related independent clauses and cause some of the meaning to be lost:
- It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.
- Use a semicolon. This maintains the connection between the clauses while ensuring a pause between the two ideas:
- It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.
- Use a coordinating conjunction.
- It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.
Literature
The short story "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman is known for its use of improper grammar, one of which is a paragraph about jelly beans composed almost entirely of run-on sentences.
References
- ^ "Run-ons — Comma Splices — Fused Sentences". 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Run-on Sentences, Comma Splices". Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- ^ Hairston, Maxine; Ruszkiewicz, John J.; Friend, Christy (1998). "The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers" (Document). New York: Longman. p. 509.
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