Despite their name, run-on sentences have nothing to do with length. Run-on sentences contain more than one independent clause that are not linked with a coordinating conjunction.
This website describes the different types of run-on sentences and why they are or aren't correct, as well as how to fix them.
This website depicts examples of run-on sentences and sentence fragments. It also describes what examples of "bad" run-on sentences are and how to correct them.
Incorrect: We are going to the park, then we are going to dance.
Correct: We are going to the park. Then we are going to dance.
Clause One: We are going to the park.
Clause Two: Then we are going to dance.
Explanation: Here, there are two independent clauses joined by only a comma. This is an example of a run-on that is also a comma splice.
Incorrect: I love to go out on Fridays it’s always cold in Boston around this time of year.
Correct: I love to go out on Fridays. It's always cold in Boston around this time of year.
Clause One: I love to go out on Fridays.
Clause Two: It’s always cold in Boston around this time of year.
Explanation: Here, there are two independent clauses strung together without punctuation. We fixed the run-on by breaking it into two sentences.
Incorrect: George Orwell wrote the novel 1984, he is an author, essayist, journalist, novelist, and critic.
Clause One: George Orwell wrote the novel 1984.
Clause Two: He is an author.
Correct: George Orwell wrote the novel 1984, and was also an essayist, journalist, novelist, and critic.
Explanation: The first sentence was a comma splice, two independent clauses linked with only a comma. We fixed this by adding the coordinating conjunction "and." We also cut back on repetition by not saying "author" a second time in our revision. The fact that Orwell wrote a novel implies that he is an author, so mentioning it again is redundant.
Kristy Goncalves, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Christelle Marc, Framingham State U, Class of 2021
Ashanti Phillip, Framingham State U, Class of 2021
Shanté Garwood, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
Devante Offutt, Framingham State U, Class of 2022
“Grammar: Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments.” Academic Guides, academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/runonsentences#s-lg-box-2825908.
“Meme Generator.” Imgflip, imgflip.com/memegenerator.
Smrt English. "Run-On Sentences and Comma Splices." YouTube, 15 Nov. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQfJdhyeQfU.
“What Is a Run-On Sentence? Definition, Examples of Run-on Sentences.” Writing Explained, writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/run-on-sentence.