Run-on sentence facts for kids

A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e complete sentences) are joined without an appropriate conjunction or mark of punctuation. For example:

It is nearly half past five we cannot reach town before dark.

This can be fixed in a number of different ways. Here are four of them:

1. It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark. (writing the run-on as two separate sentences)
2. It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark. (adding a semicolon between the two clauses)
3. It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark. (using a comma with a conjunction)
4. Since it is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark. (turning one of the clauses into a dependent clause)

A run-on sentence can be as short as 4 words, as long as it has 2 subjects and actions, making it an independent clause. For example: I drive she walks. One way to fix this is like this: I drive, but she walks.