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another type of sentence error is a run-on run-ons occur when writers join independent
clauses together when they should not be run-ons can be very confusing to readers because it
is difficult fro the reader to tell then were one sentence stops and another begins one
of the keys to ridding your paragraphs of run-ons is reading your paragraphs backwards
sentence by sentence to check for run-ons I know that this might sound odd but what
happens when you read your paragraphs backwards is that you are not automatically connecting
those sentences because you don't know necessarily whats going to come next when you read the
paragraph backwards so you may be more likely to catch any run-on sentences you might have
made if you find a run-on you can correct it by using one of the following methods the
first method is the most common all you do is separate the independent clauses with a
period and then captalize the work following the period I think it helps to draw an arrow
or line rather between the independent clauses so you can see where they come together and
then check to be sure you have an independent clause on either side if you do one of the
methods is simply to put a period between them so in this sentence the quarterback threw
the ball gracefully down the field the receiver scored a touchdown the run-on is occurring
here and you can correct that by putting a period and a capital letter that by the way
is the symbol for a capital letter the quarterback threw the ball gracefully down the field the
receiver scored a touchdown another example sue hoped for an A on the exam she made a
B sometimes it is very hard to catch run-ons when the independent clauses are short but
clearly we have two ideas they are of equal importance her hope for the A and the fact
that she made a B to put these together you can use a period sue hoped for an A on the
exam period she made a B the second type of method for correcting a run-on error is to
practice what you learned in module two and connect the independent clauses with a comma
followed by a coordinating conjunction or compound sentence independent clause comma
for comma and comma nor comma but of course there are three more of those but for some
reason they are located later on the screen so let me go down and pick those up comma
or comma yet comma so and using these coordinating conjunctions to connect independent clauses
let's break down the work coordinating co means equal as in a coworker so you have the
coordinating conjunctions conjunct junct means to join con means together so what we are
doing is we are joining together equal ideas using a comma and a coordinating conjunction
the comma alone won't correct the run-on you're creating another type of sentence error which
we are going to study later in this module the comma splice the comma must be followed
by the coordinating conjunction the quarterback threw the ball gracefully down the field comma
and the receiver scored a touchdown sue hoped for an A on the exam comma but she made a
B now and or but can be used for many reasons but when you see the comma before it it means
you are connecting independent clauses an education reader will know what you're doing
you're creating two independent clauses and joining them together to show a relationship
between those clauses to the reader that relationship is one of equality another way that you can
connect those sentences together is to connect the independent clauses with a semicolon and
actually here you are not forming a complex sentence you are forming a compound sentence
you learned in module two this is a compound sentence two independent clauses connected
by a semicolon you also learned that the semicolon has the power of the period you can not use
an semicolon unless you can also use a period in the same place the quarterback gracefully
threw oh we have to gracefullys here the comma must be followed by the coordinating conjunction
the quarterback threw the ball gracefully down the field the receiver scored a touchdown
sue hoped for an A on the exam she made a B here's the key use the semicolon when the
two clauses are closely related in meaning and many readers prefer that those two clauses
be short method four connect the independent clauses with a semicolon followed by a conjunction
adverb forming a compound sentence common conjunctive adverbs are however nevertheless
consequently therefore thus otherwise instead then meanwhile moreover furthermore also and
in addition many students confuse conjunctive adverbs with fanboys here's an easy way to
remember the difference no fanboys are composed of a word of more than three letters all conjunctive
adverbs have more than three letters what you are going to do is a use a comma following
a conjunctive adverb of more than four letters so you have IC conjunctive adverb comma independent
clause the comma must be followed by the coordinating conjunction the quarterback threw the ball
gracefully down the field then the receiver scored a touchdown sue hoped for an A on the
exam semicolon however comma she made a B method five change one independent clause
to a dependent clause by using a subordinating conjunction the dependent clause can come
first or second changing one of those independent clauses to a dependent clauses will create
a complex sentence you learned about complex sentences again in module two the subordinating
conjunctions comes first followed by the dependent clause followed by a comma followed by the
independent clause the comma is almost like a caution sign for the reader you're not stopping
the sentence you're not bringing the sentence to a full stop but you're pausing and slowing
down to let the reader catch a breath before moving on to the remainder of the sentence
the comma must be followed by the coordinating conjunction after the quarterback threw the
ball gracefully down the field comma the receiver scored a touchdown even though sue hoped for
an A on the exam she made a B when the dependent clause comes first you must insert a comma
between the two clauses when the dependent clause comes first you must insert a comma
between the two clauses so that pattern is dependent clause comma independent clause
that is different from when the independent clause comes first followed by the subordinating
conjunction and the dependent clause there is no comma dependent clause first comma independent
clause first no comma when its followed by a dependent clause the receiver scored a touchdown
after the quarterback gracefully threw the ball down the field sue made a B even thought
she hoped for an A on the exam. when you subordinate you are placing the idea of lesser importance
sub means under and the idea of greater importance in the independent clause alright lets practice
lets write ro in the blank if the sentence is a run-on and lets use a C if the sentence
is correct then we are going to use any of the methods to correct the run-ons and use
each of the methods at least once last summer my friend Maria and I set out on a thrilling
white-water rafting trip on the San Juan River in Colorado we only have one independent clause
set being the verb Maria and I being the subject as you can see if you remember all of these
are prepositional phrases if you can mark them out all you are going to see is last
summer my friend Maria and I set out that sentence is correct that morning we arrived
early soon afterward we met our guide Rudy that morning we arrived early independent
clause soon afterward we met our guide Rudy independent clause I believe the best way
possible to do this is to put a period capital s and correct the run-on Rudy showed us our
eight person raft then we met the other rafters run-on occurring here you got the subordinating
conjunction I'm sorry the conjunctive adverb then you can use Rudy showed us our eight
person raft semicolon then comma we met the other rafters we couldn't wait to get on the
river we quickly put on our life jackets great place right here as there run-ons are occurring
in number four its a great place for a comma and a coordinating conjunction the one I'm
going to choose is so we couldn't wait to get on the river comma so we quickly put on
our life jackets as Rudy shouted the safety instructions we listened to the white water
roaring in the river beside us we have a subordinating conjunction as beginning the dependent clause
as Rudy shouted our safety instructions and then the rest of this is an independent clause
we listened to the white water roaring in the river beside us you have a dependent clause
comma independent clause you have a correct sentence Maria and I headed to the front of
the raft for the best view that is clearly correct only one idea expressed there soon
we were surrounded by the white-water rapids of the beautiful San Juan again only one idea
expresses it is a correct sentence if you get confused on numbers six and seven just
mark through prepositional phrases and you'll see how I arrived at that conclusion the landscape
flew by quickly as you can almost here this crying for a subordinating conjunction as
we headed into the deep water that's a run-on occurring at the place where we are adding
a subordinating conjunction as you do not need a comma in front of it because you have
a independent clause followed by a dependent clause that does not require a comma suddenly
our guide yelled at us to hold on tightly a difficult rapid was quickly approaching
you read that aloud you should hear the break after tightly i would use the subordinating
conjunction because there its just like the sentence in front of it independent clause
followed by a dependent clause to correct the run-on I grasped Maria's hand and then
grabbed the side of the raft now this doesn't say and I grabbed the side of the raft I grasped
Maria's hand and then grabbed the side of the raft either way it's correct the front
of the raft leaped into the air like a gymnast on a trampoline we splashed hard into the
river both of those ideas are really important you got a run-on bringing confusion to the
reader I would suggest you just put a period there and a capital W on the word we I was
soaking wet it was so exciting great place for a semicolon everyone was safe comma should
be there and no one had tumbled out of the raft that is a run-on and there should be
a comma before the and fortunately the next set of rapids was easier to navigate our heartbeats
returned to normal great place for a comma and to correct the run-on after forty-five
minutes of easy rapids our guide warned us to stay alert only one verb there warned one
subject guide that is a correct sentence the end of our journey was approaching comma but
first we had to go over a small waterfall otherwise if we did not make this correction
we would have a run-on we all had to paddle furiously our raft might capsize in the river
let's check that semicolon is this semicolon equal to a period yes because you could have
written we all had to paddle furiously period our raft might capsize in the river sometimes
in stories like this a writer will use a semicolon to create some tension and to keep the story
moving along this is correct suddenly we were free-falling in foam as our raft dove into
the waterfall you have were free-falling as the verb we as the subject as as the subordinating
conjunction raft as the subject dove as the verb you have an independent clause followed
by a dependent clause you have a correct sentence and now you are probably going to ask me what
happened you were free-falling in foam and your raft dove into the waterfall well I guess
you'll never know because that's the end of the exercise you can choose your own ending
and now we're going to move on to comma splices