Run on Sentence Overview
A common mistake made by students and writers is the run on sentence. A run on sentence is when two or more independent clauses are joined incorrectly and can be identified in several ways including with a run on checker. In most cases the run on sentence is caused because there is no punctuation separating two independent clauses or because of a missing coordinating conjunction. There are three types of run on sentences:- Fused sentences: fused sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are joined into one sentence with no punctuation or coordinating conjunction separating the independent clauses.
- Example: “I planned to go to the beach today it was raining so I stayed home.” This is a fused sentence because “I planned to go to the beach today” and “it was raining so I stayed home” are both independent clauses and there are no punctuation marks or coordinating conjunctions separating them.
- Comma splices: when two or more independent clauses are combined into a single sentence using only a comma to join them but no coordinating conjunction it is a comma splice.
- Example: “Kevin plays the guitar very well, it was his inability to carry a tune that kept him out of the band.” There is a comma separating the independent clauses “Kevin plays the guitar very well” and “it was his inability to carry a tune that kept him out of the band” but no coordinating conjunction making the sentence a comma splice.
- Polysyndetons: polysyndetons are when several independent clauses are connected with too many conjunctions.
- Example: “Yesterday we went to the beach and we surfed and we played volleyball and we built sandcastles and we ate hamburgers and later we watched fireworks.” The conjunction “and” is much overused in the sentence.
How to Do a Grammar Check for Run-on Sentence Error
Identifying run on error is something many students and writers have difficulty with. Before you can identify run on mistakes you need to understand what an independent clause is. An independent clause contains a subject, a verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand on its own as a sentence. To identify run on sentences follow these steps:
- Identify independent clauses in a sentence. Look for subject/verb combinations that express complete thoughts. If there is more than 1 independent clause proceed to the next step.
- Are there any punctuation marks separating the independent clauses? If not then it is most likely a run on sentence (fused sentence)
- Are the independent clauses separated by a comma? If yes is there a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)? If there is no coordinating conjunction it is a run on sentence (comma splice).
- Are there an excessive number of conjunctions in the sentence? If so it is likely a run on sentence (polysyndeton)
- When a conjunctive adverb such as however or nevertheless is used to join two independent clauses.
- When the second independent clause begins with a pronoun so that it connects it to the first independent clause
- When an independent clause gives a command or direction based on what was said in the previous independent clause
The above circumstances aren’t a guarantee a sentence is a run on but you should take a closer look when you see them come up. The first step in run on sentence paragraph editing is to identify mistakes. However, it isn’t easy to spot every run on sentence, especially in your own writing. Our “is this a run on sentence checker” can help you detect run on mistakes so that you can fix them.
How to Correct a Run on Sentence
Once you have detected a run on sentence the next step is to fix the mistake. The following are some run on sentence examples and corrections that can be made to fix them:- Add coordinating conjunction: for comma splice run on sentences you can add coordinating conjunction to fix the problem.
- Example: “David always leaves early, he is still late every day.”
- Correct: “David always leaves early, yet he is still late every day.”
- Use a period: make the run on sentence into two sentences by separating the independent clauses with a period. Capitalize the first word of the second independent phrase.
- Example: “I had to pick up Frank from work his car had two flat tires.”
- Correct: “I had to pick up Frank from work. His car had two flat tires.”
- Use a semi-colon: use a semi-colon to separate the two independent clauses. The first word of the second independent phrase doesn’t need to be capitalized unless it is a proper noun.
- Example: “Alice needed to finish a project for work she stayed at the office all night.”
- Correct: “Alice needed to finish a project for work; she stayed at the office all night.”
- Use subordinating conjunction: make the first independent clause a dependent clause by using a subordinating conjunction.
- Example: “Steve was going to the grocery store to buy steaks his wife had him get milk and bread while he was there.”
- Correct: “Since Steve was going to the grocery store to buy steaks his wife had him get milk and bread while he was there.”

Our Run on Sentence Corrector Overview
If you need help with run on sentences our fragment and run on sentence checker is just the writing tool you need. Correcting fragments and run-ons in paragraphs is difficult and takes time even for experienced writers. Not being sure how to correct a fragment and a run on sentence makes it even more difficult. Our run on sentence helper will detect any type of run on sentence in your writing. Once it has identified the errors, the run on corrector then provides suggestions on how to correct the mistake. The sentence fragment checker isn’t limited to finding and fixing run on sentences and sentence fragments. It performs a variety of other functions as well including:
- Spelling checker: detects and corrects spelling mistakes in your text
- Punctuation checker: identifies and corrects all types of punctuation mistakes
- Grammar checker: detects and provides corrections for numerous types of grammatical errors such as misplaced modifiers, verb tense problems, noun pronoun agreement, subject/verb agreement and many others
- Passive voice detector: Identifies passive voice and recommends adjustments to change to active voice
- Tone detector: identifies tone of text and suggests adjustments to achieve the appropriate tone
- Text similarity checker: checks for text that is too similar and recommends changes to avoid plagiarism
- Run on sentence: “Mike’s shirt was torn and dirty he wore it to school anyway.”
- Corrected sentence: “Mike’s shirt was torn and dirty; he wore it to school anyway.”
- Run on sentence: “Don’t be late for work we have a big job to finish.”
- Corrected sentence: “Don’t be late for work because we have a big job to finish.”
Try our run on checker now and start submitting grammatically perfect papers!
