by Elton Gahr

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: April 15, 2009

Run on sentences are one of the easiest mistakes to make when writing, but they are also one of the easiest to fix. Run on sentences tend to occur most often when the writer is trying to get a large idea on paper quickly or is excited about an idea. These sentences are often technically correct, but are in a sense, rude. The good news is that once you are aware of them, it's not a difficult error to fix.

Becoming aware of a run on sentence isn't the problem it once was. Many modern word processors have a built in check for run on sentences, but even without that they aren't all that hard to find. The most obvious of the problems of the run on sentence is multiple uses of conjunctions. If you see the word "and" or "but" in a sentence more than twice, you probably want to cut it back. The biggest way to find them though is to simply read your work out loud. Trust me, if you read your word out loud and follow your own punctuation, you will notice run on sentences.

Once you have found them you have a handful of choices. First, be aware that just like the passive voice and many other choices in writing, there are times that the run on sentence can be useful. Run on sentences can be an interesting quirk for a character using dialog or it can be used to portray a sense of urgency.

These must be used infrequently, though, and with full awareness of what you are doing. The more common solution is to simply make your run on sentence two or ever three shorter sentences. This is also the time to consider if you are using the comma splice, as well as looking at the possibilities of a semicolon.

An even easier solution is to avoid using the run on sentence. This along with many other writing weaknesses can be worked out of your writing with a little practice. The key to this advancement is to practice like you're in a real game. Other people can afford sloppy writing in a note or an email. You can not; you are a writer. You should be aware of the correct rules at all times. You'll still make mistakes, but slowly you will begin to make less.

No matter what choices you ultimately make in regards to the run on sentence, the most important choice you can make is to be aware of it. This is true not only of the run on sentence, but many other style and grammar choices you make in your writing and as a writer. That self awareness of what you are putting on the page is one of the most useful skills that you can teach yourself.

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