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Course: Grammar > Unit 9
Lesson 2: Fragments and run-onsRun-ons and comma splices
A run-on sentence doesn’t separate any of its independent clauses with the punctuation that it needs, and a comma splice incorrectly separates two independent clauses with a comma, instead of a comma-and-coordinating-conjunction.
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- When do you use a semicolon and comma?(10 votes)
- Great response, Juliyahna!
I'd also suggest you take a gander at the semicolon and comma tutorials, Izabella:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/punctuation-the-colon-semicolon-and-more/introduction-to-semicolons/v/introduction-to-the-semicolon-the-colon-and-semicolon-punctuation-khan-academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/grammar/punctuation-the-comma-and-the-apostrophe/introduction-to-commas/v/meet-the-comma-the-comma-punctuation-khan-academy(31 votes)
- I have two questions! :)
1. When doing a run on sentence why can't you use the word 'and' in it?
2. When you did 'we bought nails, we bought hammers' cant you do 'we bought nails, we also bought hammers'?(10 votes)- they could of said "we bought nails and A hammer(1 vote)
- How is this sentence a run-on, and not a sentence?
The dwarf caiman is the smallest of all crocodiles, it lives in freshwater streams and lakes.
Thx,
~ GuardianGirl(6 votes)- It contains two distinct ideas: "The dwarf caiman is the smallest of all crocodiles" and "it lives in freshwater streams and lakes". The sentence is a run-on because the two phrases are not joined by a conjunction.
The sentence can be rewritten as follows:
"The dwarf caiman is the smallest of all crocodiles, and it lives in freshwater streams and lakes."
"The dwarf caiman is the smallest of all crocodiles. It lives in freshwater streams and lakes."
"The dwarf caiman, which lives in freshwater streams and lakes, is the smallest of all crocodiles."(11 votes)
- how is semicolon stronger than comma?(10 votes)
- 1) Visually it's stronger because it includes a dot.
2) Grammatically it implies a greater separation between the elements on either side than does a comma, and it can be used to link parts of a sentence, not merely to separate them.
3) Historically the existence of a semi-colon (instead of a comma) in the act admitting the Republic of Texas into the United States introduces the possibility that Texas could divide into several different states and thereby gain seats in the US senate if it so desired.(4 votes)
- Is a semicolon BETTER to use than a comma?(5 votes)
- Well, it depends on what would be grammatically correct in the sentence. Since you asked this question on a video about comma splices...
INCORRECT: My sister is tall, she's terrible at limbo.
CORRECT: My sister is tall; she's terrible at limbo.
CORRECT: My sister is tall, so she's terrible at limbo.
CORRECT: My sister is tall. She's terrible at limbo.
Again, it depends on the rules which apply to the sentence's grammar. Here's an example where a comma's better than a semicolon:
INCORRECT: I like cake; chocolate; and cookies.
CORRECT: I like cake, chocolate, and cookies.
Hope this helped!(13 votes)
- Is there any way that a sentence can start with *because. Without adding anything to separate the sentence.(7 votes)
- So
"I love spring I love summer"
would be a run-on sentence and
"I love spring and summer"
is the fixed version?(5 votes)- Yes, there is not a proper form of punctuation or conjunction between the two clauses in your first example. Your second example is correct.(3 votes)
- Why does Rosie sound so sad?(7 votes)
- Because you are questioning her voice. That would make me sad too.(2 votes)
- Can you use semi-comma and comma in the same paragraph(3 votes)
- You can use semi-colons and commas in the same paragraph, and even in the same sentence - as long as your sentences follow conventions and make sense.(7 votes)
- XD two seconds before David said or you can use a semicolon i said "Or you can use a semicolon". We are in perfect sync!!(6 votes)
Video transcript
preciou- [Voiceover] Hello
grammarians, hello Rosie! - [Voiceover] Hi David! - [Voiceover] How are you? - [Voiceover] Good, how are you? - [Voiceover] Good, today
we are going to talk about run-ons and comma splices. So a run-on sentence is what happens when two independent
clauses are put together in one sentence without any punctuation or coordinating conjunctions
like and, but, or. So Rosie what is a good
example of a run-on sentence? - [Voiceover] We bought
nails we bought a hammer. - [Voiceover] Yeah, so we
can see that this sentence contains two individual,
independent clauses. So we've got number one, we bought nails, number two, we bought a hammer. Now there are a couple of different ways we could make this a legal sentence, but right now as it stands
this is a run-on, right? - [Voiceover] So there
are a couple of ways we could fix this sentence. One way would be just to
add a semicolon in there. So you've got two independent clauses. - [Voiceover] We bought nails, semicolon, we bought a hammer. - [Voiceover] Right. Another way you could
do that would be to just add a comma and then the conjunction and, so you're connecting those two clauses. - [Voiceover] So this is a
run-on sentence without this and, and this comma, and it's called that because it's sort of like
a runaway train, you know, it doesn't have enough stoppage
in it is how I would put it. So that's what a run-on sentence is, and now I wanna talk about comma splicing. And the word splice,
not a super-common term if you are neither a
sailor or a film editor. But splicing is a word
that originally meant to take two ropes, untangle them, and weave them back together. It's a sailor's term
related to rope lines. In our case for grammar, a splice, a comma splice is an inappropriate joining of two independent
clauses by using a comma. So Rosie, this is Li'l
Tony, Crime Fighting Pony. - [Voiceover] Right. - [Voiceover] So for
example, in this sentence, I love Li'l Tony 2: Pony Up 2 the Streets, it's my favorite movie in
the Li'l Tony franchise, a very fine series of non-existent films. The problem with this
sentence is that right now it's got this comma in the middle of it, and this comma inappropriately joins these two independent clauses. Oh, and this whole time I forgot to say two independent clauses
inappropriately joined by a comma. So okay, so we've got
independent clause number one, remember this thing could
stand on its own as a sentence, I love the name of this movie. I love Li'l Tony 2: Pony Up 2 the Streets. That could be its own sentence on its own, end it with a period, period. It's my favorite movie in the
Li'l Tony franchise, period. But we have these two
independent clauses, right? We cannot join them with just a comma. We could say I love Li'l Tony
2: Pony Up 2 the Streets, comma, and it's my favorite
movie in the Li'l Tony franchise or as we did in the previous example, we could also throw in a semicolon, which is I think what I would rather do. I love Li'l Tony 2: Pony Up 2 the Streets; semicolon, it's my favorite movie in the Li'l Tony franchise. And Rosie, you will notice
that I have underlined these titles. - [Voiceover] Oh yes. - [Voiceover] Because these are the names of published works, even
though we made them up. - [Voiceover] Right, exactly. - [Voiceover] But okay,
but for real I would love to see like a Li'l Tony,
Crime Fighting Pony series. - [Voiceover] Totally. - [Voiceover] So to review, when you're looking at a run-on, you're looking at two independent
clauses that are together in one sentence, that are
joined inappropriately without punctuation or conjunctions. So, we bought nails we bought a hammer. There's not really a place to know where the division between
clauses is in that, and so the thing to do is
either to add some kind of, is to add a comma and a conjunction, or to combine them using a semicolon. The same deal with a comma splice, it's just that a comma splice is a run-on that hasn't been fixed all the way. - [Voiceover] Right,
the comma's being used but we need some bigger
punctuation in place of the comma, something like a semicolon, in order to make a
distinction between those two independent clauses. - [Voiceover] So that is
how you identify and fix run-ons and comma splices. You can learn anything, David out. - [Voiceover] Rosie out.