How to fix a run on sentence or a comma splice?

Comma Splice:
2 independence clauses inappropriately joined by a comma.
Judy is a conscientious student, she works under pressure and is always punctual in her job.
I love Lil Tony 2: Pony up 2 the streets, it’s my favorite movie in the Lil Tony franchise
Run on sentence:
2 independent clauses together in one sentence without punctuation or conjunctions (FANBOYS)
- Judy is a conscientious student she works under pressure and is always punctual in her job.
- We bought nails we bought hammer.
Judy a conscientious student. (sentence fragment/incomplete sentence)
Judy is a conscientious student, and she works …..
Judy is a conscientious student; she works …….
Sub ordinate conjunctions:
If - although - even though - since - after - before - when - while because
Because/As judy is a conscientious student, she works……
Judy is a conscientious student, working under pressure and being always punctual in her job.
Working under pressure and being always punctual in her job, Judy is a conscientious student.
Judy, a conscientious student, works under pressure and is always punctual in her job.

1) Nivan goes to school late every day; Badr becomes impatient

2) Nivan goes to school late every day, so Badr becomes impatient
3) Nivan goes to school late every day. Badr becomes impatient
4) Since Nivan goes to school late every day, Badr becomes impatient
5)Nivan goes to school late every day; therefore, Badr becomes impatient.
Sentence Fragment:
It is a sentence that miss whether the subject or the predicate.
The pancakes.
Were delicious.
A run-on sentence consists of two or more complete sentences that are not joined together
with appropriate punctuation or transitions.
Here are some examples of run-on sentences.
Can you figure out where the first sentence ends?
Dan worked diligently on his computer his son read a book
You don't take out the trash, I will be very angry. Comma splice
The forecast was for a tornado, we headed to the basement. Comma splice
It was a long time ago, an ocean covered what is now a modern city. Comma splice
Here are some possible ways the above run-ons can be fixed:
Dan worked diligently on his computer while his son read a book.
If you don't take out the trash, I will be very angry.
The forecast was for a tornado; we headed to the basement.
A long time ago, an ocean covered what Is now a modern city.
PRACTICE
Determine if each of the following is a complete sentence, a sentence fragment, or a run-on
sentence. Correct the fragments and run-ons to make them complete sentences.
1. A beautiful day in the neighborhood.
Sentence fragment.
2. Watch where you are going.
No change. Complete sentence.
3. I can't believe I forgot my calculator, how am I going to do my math homework?
Comma splice.
4. The cars driving down the freeway.
Sentence fragment.
5. Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States of America.
Sentence fragment.
6. You were wrong to leave litter on the pavement.
No change. Complete sentence.
7. While walking slowly to the entryway, the lady careful to avoid missteps.
No change. Complete sentence.
8. I am done.
No change. Complete sentence.
9. Finish your vegetables there are people starving elsewhere.
Run on sentence.
10. Who's coming over to dinner?
No change. Complete sentence.
Identify whether the sentence is a run-on (some may be correct) and if so, where it occurs.
1. A caller from Memorial Park reported a man beating his head against a wall, he was heading
to work.
The comma between 2 complete sentences
2. A completely naked long-haired brunette in her 20s was pumping gas into a Hummer on the
corner of Beachmont, no one got a good look at the vehicle's license plate.
Comma splice after Beachmont,
3. In New York, the train system is difficult to learn, however, the food is fantastic and diverse.
Comma splice. Change the comma after learn into a semi colon.
4. When a man became so upset with the lack of parking enforcement in his town, he reported
his own parking violation, and the police showed up to subdue him with a stun gun, apparently
he became combative and screamed at the officers that they weren't doing their job.
Comma splice. Change the comma after gun into a semi colon or a period.
5. There's a big chance that if you’re 16 or older, you've already met the person you'll marry.
No change. 1st sentence is dependent, the 2nd is independent
6. Wanting to be sure that what he had been sold was real weed, Phillip Donahue approached
two officers and asked them to test his pipe, as a result, he was arrested and charged with
drug possession.
Comma splice. Change the comma after pipe into a semi colon or a period.
7. Jimmy hid in the dumpster when Mr. Trump, his boss, walked by, unfortunately, Mr. Trump
had to throw something away and saw him crouching there, forcing Jimmy to confess that he
actually lived there.
Comma splice. Change the comma after by into a semi colon or a period.
8. Zoe likes to ace her tests but resents it when her classmates ask her how much she studied,
sometimes Zoe will just say that she didn't study at all when in fact she had stayed up all night.
Comma splice. Change the comma after studied into a semi colon or a period.
9. At the time, discovering quantum physics looked like a waste of time and money, but it is
now the foundation of all modem technology, thus, when people claim that math and
science are of no relevance, it drives Dr. Tyson into a deep rage.
Comma splice. Change the comma after technology into a semi colon or a period.
10. Playing them day and night, Shawn and his video games were inseparable, however, once
he got a girlfriend, everything changed.
Comma splice. Change the comma after inseparable into a semi colon or a period.
11. Despite his friends' tearful pleas for forgiveness, Jonathan maintained a deep grudge
against everyone who had ever asked for a pencil and never returned it, an act he considered
a crime against humanity.
No change. 1st sentence is complete, the 2nd is incomplete
12. Suddenly realizing the movie was too scary for her, Maya panicked and looked at her
watch, there was still 20 minutes left, enough time to still make her uneasy about what was
to come.
Comma splice.
13. The salesman, aware that he was going to lose a sale if he didn't make something up,
claimed that the laptop could not be customizable and that the only options were in the store.
Complete sentence
14. As a young girl, Lindsay was praised as a talented and burgeoning actress, as an adult, she
fell into the dark world of sex, drugs, and alcohol and would never reclaim her former glory.
Comma splice. Change the comma after actress into a semi colon or a period.
15. Omega-3 fish oil provides essential fatty acids for your nutritional health, furthermore, it
soothes back pain and muscle aches.
Complete sentence
16. Last Saturday, Peter Parker was bit by a spider, after that incident, he would never be the
same again.
Comma splice. Change the comma after spider into a semi colon or a period.
1. Despite the cracks in the kitchen wall and the leaky faucet; the apartment sold for over
double what it was worth.
A) NO CHANGE B) faucet C) faucet, D) faucet, but

2. The waiter tried to sell the most expensive bottle of wine to the young diners, all of them
decided that it wasn't worth it.
A) NO CHANGE B) the diners C) of whom D) DELETE the underlined portion.

3. The letter, which declared a revolution in Cuba, was drafted by the leader of the rebels, it
was typed up by his brother.
A) NO CHANGE B) rebels, C) rebels and D) rebels; and it was

4. Because malaria, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, can be fatal, so we made sure to take
vaccinations before our trip to Africa
A) NO CHANGE B) and C) but D) DELETE the underlined portion.

5. When the school board wanted to cut spending in half, which the teachers complained that
they already didn't have enough textbooks to go around.
A) NO CHANGE B) half; C) half, D) half:

6. Jack bought the used car knowing that he would have to fix it up; it was the only one he
liked.
A) NO CHANGE B) up; for C) up, it D) up, which

7. Fans stood in a long line that stretched down and around the block, they were waiting for
the box office to open.
A) NO CHANGE B) block and C) block; while D) block,

8. Doctors must adhere to best practices and obey certain hospital guidelines, they limit the
amount of medication that can be prescribed to patients.
A) NO CHANGE B) which C) and D) DELETE the underlined portion.

9. The managers debated the issue with the employees to get their feedback; even though they
had already made their decision.
A) NO CHANGE B) feedback, C) feedback; but D) feedback even though

10. Most mixed martial arts fighters today practice brazilian jiu-jitsu, this is a brutal form of
martial arts that focuses on grappling.
A) NO CHANGE B) jiu-jitsu, being C) jiu-jitsu; D) jiu-jitsu,

11. SAT scores are extremely important. They are only one part of the application, however,
grades and teacher recommendations are other factors that colleges take into account.
A) NO CHANGE B) application however grades
C) application. However, grades D) application, however. Grades

12. Although buyers are aware of their decisions and the marketing that plays into them,
however, some persuasive forces that affect purchasing behavior go unnoticed.
A) NO CHANGE B) them, some C) them, but some D) them: some

13. It is praised as Tarantino's greatest accomplishment, the movie Pulp Fiction interlaces
several stories of seemingly unrelated incidents.
A) NO CHANGE B) Praised as C) People praise it as D) It is

14. Environmentalists have worked hard to rid the river of toxic chemicals, but the population
of fish still hasn't recovered to previous levels.
A) NO CHANGE B) chemicals; but C) chemicals, D) chemicals, however,

15. The movie theater provided large leather seats with slots for popcorn and drinks,
furthermore, the screen was crystal clear to make for a great 3-D viewing experience.
A) NO CHANGE B) drinks; furthermore, C) drinks; and D) drinks, in addition,

16. As a doctor, Billy consults with patients about their conditions, he recommends a course of
action to correct them.
A) NO CHANGE B) conditions and C) conditions; and then D) conditions, which he
Correct choice (B). Choice (A) is a comma splice. (C) Can’t put semi colon then and
And here is not one of the FANBOYS. We make it as parallel structure.
As a doctor is an appositive phrase not a subordinate conjunction

1. C 2. C 3. C 4. D 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. B
9. D 10. D 11. D 12. B 13. B 14. A 15. B 16. B
2. There is comma splice so we need to make the 2nd sentence incomplete using of whom]
4. We can’t put subordinate conjunction with FANBOYS
7. waiting for.. is a participle phrase which will make the 2nd sentence an incomplete sentence
8. Need to add which to make the 2nd sentence an incomplete sentence
 Sir John Alexander Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, is widely praised as
a great Canadian hero. 1. We didn't have his determination and tenacity, our great country
would not be the same as it is today.
2. Born in Scotland on January 11, 1815, John immigrated to the New Country with his
parents at a very young age. The exact year of his arrival is unknown. He soon began
working under a local lawyer in 3. Kingston, his mentor died before he could complete his
apprenticeship. Young Macdonald was not quite old enough to take over the 4. practice,
however, this didn't stop the ambitious lad. He immediately opened his own practice.
5. He had several high profile cases, John quickly became a prominent figure in legal
venues. This notoriety prompted the young man to run for a legislative seat in the House of
6. Commons, he won in
just like John, the country was struggling to make a mark on the 7. world, in 1877, Mr.
Macdonald was awarded the position of Premier of the United Province of Canada.
However, at this point Canada was far from being 8. united, much less a real province.
The political state was in shambles. The efforts of the King of England to populate the
country was a dismal 9. failure the people in the west had no interest at all in joining what
politicians were calling "Canada." None of this deterred John's ambition of creating the
country of his dreams. He developed the Canadian Pacific Railway and created the
Northwest Mounted 10. Police; convincing British Columbia, Manitoba, and Prince Edward
Island to join the confederation.

1.
A. NO CHANGE B. Without C. We lacked D. Because
2.
A. NO CHANGE B. He was born; C. He was born D. Born,
3.
A. NO CHANGE B) Kingston, however, his mentor
C) Kingston; but his mentor D) Kingston, but his mentor
4.
A. NO CHANGE B. practice, so C. practice; however, D. practice,
5.
A. NO CHANGE B. After, C. After D. He was in
6.
A. NO CHANGE B. Commons, C. Commons; which he D. Commons, which he
7.
A. NO CHANGE B. world. In 1877, C.world, however, in 1877, D.world, moreover, in 1877,
8.
A. NO CHANGE B. united, and much less C. united; much less D. united, though much less
9.
A. NO CHANGE B. failure. The people C. failure; and the people D. failure, the people
10.
A. NO CHANGE B. Police convincing C. Police by convincing D. Police, he convinced
 Even at the age of 60, Macdonald did not slowdown 11. one bit, in 1885, he
engineered the first National Park in Alberta. Believing that he could attract the attention of
tourists to 12. Canada, so he gathered the country's best architects and construction
workers to design one of the world's most beautiful destinations.
Sir John A. Macdonald served as the Prime Minister of Canada from 1867 to 1873 and
then again from 1878 to 1891. He was given the honor of knighthood for his dedication to
crown and 13. country, people today still travel on the Macdonald-Cartier highway every
day!

11.
A. NO CHANGE B. one bit, therefore, in 1885, C. one bit; in 1885, D. one bit; and in 1885,
12.
A. NO CHANGE B. Canada, C. Canada; D. Canada, and
13.
A. NO CHANGE B. country, with people C. country, so people D. country. People

1. B 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. C 6. D 7. B
8. A 9. B 10. C 11. C 12. B 13. D