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Introduction to Exercise 7 - Correcting run-ons and comma splices |
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A run-on is a sentence that contains two independent
clauses without punctuation between them.
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To fix a run-on, use a period or semicolon to separate the clauses into two sentences or connect the clauses by using a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but,
or, so).
- Incorrect: Over the past few decades, the number of female
prisoners has been growing at a faster pace than the number
of male prisoners there are more than 100,000 female inmates
in the nation's prisons and jails today.
- Corrected: Over the past few decades, the number of female
prisoners has been growing at a faster pace than the number
of male prisoners; there
are more than 100,000 female inmates in the nation's prisons
and jails today.
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A comma splice is the most common type of run-on sentence. It occurs when a comma is
used between two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction (e.g., and, but,
or, so).
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To fix a comma splice, change the comma to a period or semicolon or add a coordinating conjunction after the comma.
- Incorrect: The majority of prison inmates have both emotional
and social problems, prison officials have begun to employ
modern counseling methods to help inmates address these
problems.
- Corrected: The majority of prison inmates have both emotional
and social problems, so
prison officials have begun to employ modern counseling
methods to help inmates address these problems.
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 Download Grammar Explanation (PDF) |
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The following passages each contain one run-on sentence. If you click on the run-on sentence,
two choices will appear on the side. Click on the correct choice to insert it in the passage.
If you click on the wrong choice, the Answer box at the bottom of the choices will tell you
why your answer is wrong. |
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