Writing Academic English 4th Edition

188 Pa~·t 1111 ISentenceStructure

Run-OnSentencesandCommaSplices..

RUN-ON

COMMASPLICE

5. (a)Thegradingsystematourcollegeshouldbeabolished.(b)Thestudents
   donotlikegettinggrades.(c)Theinstructorsdonotenjoygivinggrades.
   Equal/Notequal?
   Mainidea?
   Relationship:
   Combinedsentence:


6. (a)Educationina freesocietyteacheschildrenhowtothink.(b)Educationin
   a dictatorshipteacheschildrenwhattothink.
   Equal/Notequal?
   Mainidea?
   Relationship:
   Combinedsentence:

Arun-onsentenceisa sentenceinwhichtwoormoreindependentclausesare

writtenoneafteranotherwithnopunctuation.Asimilarerrorhappenswhentwo

independentclausesareincorrectlyjoinedbyacommawithouta coordinating

conjunction.Thiskindoferroris calledacommasplice.

MyfamilywenttoAustraliathentheyemigratedtoCanada.

MyfamilywenttoAustralia,then theyemigratedtoCanada.

Thewaystocorrectthesetwosentenceerrorsarethesame.

1.Adda period:

MyfamilywenttoAustralia.ThentheyemigratedtoCanada.

2.Adda semicolon:

MyfamilywenttoAustralia;then theyemigratedtoCanada.

3.Adda coordinator:

MyfamilywenttoAustralia,andthentheyemigratedtoCanada.

4.Adda subordinator:

MyfamilywenttoAustraliabeforetheyemigratedtoCanada.

AftermyfamilywenttoAustralia,theyemigratedtoCanada.