I’m back again on my mission to present the rules of grammar and punctuation without any jargon and with a heap of examples.
In this post, I’m going to address a common punctuation mistake called the run-on sentence or comma splice. Those terms may sound complex, but they refer to something very simple.
Take a look at these two sentences:
I am determined to write a book.
This challenge will not defeat me.
They’re perfectly written—no problems anywhere. However, we sometimes slip up and find ourselves writing this instead:
I am determined to write a book, this challenge will not defeat me.
We took two complete sentences and spliced them together with a comma. The first complete sentence now runs-on into the second complete sentence. And this construction breaks the rules. You see, sentences need to be treated as complete and independent entities. That’s what they are, after all. And that means no splicing or running on.
It’s an easy mistake to make, and if some of these pesky run-on sentences have sneaked into your work, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s even easier to fix.
First, find any suspect sentences in your writing. That means looking for sentences with several words on either side of a comma. Then, read the words before and after the comma separately from each other, noticing if they both make complete sentences.
When you find a run-on sentence, there are three available solutions:
The first is dead simple. Swap the comma for a full stop (period).
The football soared into the goal, the crowd went wild.
Becomes:
The football soared into the goal. The crowd went wild.
The second solution is also easy. Place a joining word after the comma: and, but, or, nor, yet.
Carefully chosen words and phrases can be exciting, they create action-packed stories.
Becomes:
Carefully chosen words and phrases can be exciting, and they create action-packed stories.
The third solution is a little more obscure, but it can do the job perfectly. Swap the comma for a semicolon.
I love the spring, blossom makes me glad.
Becomes:
I love the spring; blossom makes me glad.
Most of the time, any of these solutions will work. You just need to put your author-savvy into action, choosing the one that reads just the way you want.
Here are a bunch of examples you can investigate if you want any more clarity on how this all works in practice.
Peter called this morning, he wanted to say hi.
Becomes:
Solution 1: Peter called this morning. He wanted to say hi.
Solution 2: Peter called this morning, and he wanted to say hi.
Solution 3: Peter called this morning; he wanted to say hi.
When the road winds for miles, I imagine I’m waltzing in a car, my music is the birds, the breeze, and the stream.
Becomes:
Solution 1: When the road winds for miles, I imagine I’m waltzing in a car. My music is the birds, the breeze, and the stream.
Solution 2: When the road winds for miles, I imagine I’m waltzing in a car, and my music is the birds, the breeze, and the stream.
Solution 3: When the road winds for miles, I imagine I’m waltzing in a car; my music is the birds, the breeze, and the stream.
Bread, butter, and jam is the perfect combination for some occasions, I don’t like it all the time, however.
Becomes:
Solution 1: Bread, butter, and jam is the perfect combination for some occasions. I don’t like it all the time, however.
Solution 2: Bread, butter, and jam is the perfect combination for some occasions, but I don’t like it all the time, however.
Solution 3: Bread, butter, and jam is the perfect combination for some occasions; I don’t like it all the time, however.
Orchestras perform a wide variety of Beethoven’s music, his fifth symphony is a favourite.
Becomes:
Solution 1: Orchestras perform a wide variety of Beethoven’s music. His fifth symphony is a favourite.
Solution 2: Orchestras perform a wide variety of Beethoven’s music, yet his fifth symphony is a favourite.
Solution 3: Orchestras perform a wide variety of Beethoven’s music; his fifth symphony is a favourite.
So, any rogue run-on sentences in your manuscript can now run for their lives.
Remember, you’ve got three solutions:
Swap the comma for a full stop (period).
Place a joining word after the comma: and, but, or, nor, yet.
Swap the comma for a semicolon.
I hope this post managed to help you out. That is my goal. My next post will head back to the ultimate basic: What makes a complete sentence? I’ll see you then!
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