|
Run-On Sentences An independent clause is a group of words that could be a complete sentence all by itself. A run-on sentence is one in which independent clauses have been run together without punctuation (a period, semicolon, or comma). Examples: Lynn moved from Minneapolis her job was transferred. The concert seemed unending it lasted almost until midnight. We got some gas then we headed off to Omaha. All three of these examples can be corrected quite easily in one of three ways: By adding a period and a capital letter. Lynn moved from Minneapolis. Her job was transferred. The concert seemed unending. It lasted almost until midnight. We got some gas. Then we headed off to Omaha. By adding a comma and a conjunction (and, but, or, for, nor, yet, so). Sometimes you have to change the order of the words. Lynn's job was transferred, and she moved from Minneapolis. The concert seemed unending, for it lasted almost until midnight. We got some gas, and then we headed off to Omaha. By turning one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause. To do this you need to add a subordinating conjunction where it fits in the sentence. This can usually be done in several different ways by rewording the clauses or by using different subordinating conjunctions. Remember the list of subordinating conjunction you saw earlier in this lesson? Lynn moved from Minneapolis because her job was transferred. When her job was transferred, Lynn moved from Minneapolis. Since the concert lasted almost until midnight, it seemed unending. The concert seemed unending because it lasted until almost midnight. After we got some gas, we headed off to Omaha. We headed off to Omaha after we got some gas. |
|
|
