Look at the two sentences below. What is wrong with each sentence?
- Tennis is my favourite sport I play it a lot in the summer.
- I am having a party on Friday, some friends from class are coming over.
Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence is a type of writing mistake. A run-on sentence is a sentence with two or more independent clauses but without punctuation and/or linking word. Here is an example:
- Tennis is my favourite sport I play it a lot in the summer.
There are many ways to fix a run-on sentence:
- use a period, and start a new sentence
- Tennis is my favourite sport. I play it a lot in the summer.
- use a comma with FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
- Tennis is my favourite sport, and I play it a lot in the summer.
- make a complex sentence
- Because tennis is my favourite sport, I play it a lot in the summer.
Comma Splices
A comma splice is when you write a sentence with two independent clauses and connect them with only a comma. This is a mistake. Here is an example of a comma splice:
- I am having a party on Friday, some friends from class are coming over.
There are different ways to fix a comma splice:
- use a period, and start a new sentence
- I am having a party on Friday. Some friends from class are coming over.
- use a comma with a coordinator (and, but, so, or, for, yet, nor)
- I am having a party on Friday, so some friends from class are coming over.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.