The correct answer is C. Dwayne checked his essay for errors before turning it in; he felt certain that he would get a good grade. A run-on sentence is joined by a comma, while the correct answer uses a semicolon to join the two independent clauses.

1. COMMA SPLICES &
RUN-ONS
How to correct and prevent these common sentence construction errors.

2. Sentence
Reminder
◦ Complete sentences MUST include a subject and a
predicate.
◦ Identify the main subject, verb and complete idea
within a sentence to write correct sentence.
◦ Correct sentence fragments (incomplete sentences).
◦ Sometimes dependent clauses trick us into thinking they
are complete sentences.

3. Sentence
Reminder:
Subjects | Predicates
◦ The subject identifies the ACTOR in the sentence.
◦ Who is engaging in the action of the sentence?
◦ Examples:
◦ She sang.
◦ Andrea played violin for the audience
while the main act tuned their instruments.
◦ The predicate identifies the ACTION in the
sentence.
◦ What is the subject doing in the sentence?
◦ Examples:
◦ She sang.
◦ Andrea played violin for the audience
while the main act tuned their instruments.

4. Sentence
Reminder:
More than the sum of its parts
Subject + predicate + complete thought=
Complete Sentence!
Andrea played violin for the audience while the main
act tuned their instruments.
Andrea played violin for the audience while the main
act tuned their instruments.

5. Sentence
Reminder:
Be careful with dependent clauses
that include a subject and a verb.
They cannot act as a complete
sentence. See the underlined
example.
Subject + predicate + dependent clause (completes
thought)=Complete Sentence!
Andrea played violin for the audience while the main
act tuned their instruments.
Andrea played violin for the audience. While the main
act tuned their instruments.
(Complete sentence followed by a fragment.)

6. Sentence
Reminder:
Fragments | Dependent Clauses
◦ Correct sentence fragments (incomplete sentences).
◦ Sometimes dependent clauses trick us into thinking they
are complete sentences.
◦ Examples:
◦ Since it is time... (What will happen now?)
◦ When you get to Charlotte... (What will happen?)
◦ If you come to the concert... (What happens then?)
◦ After next fall... (What happens after next fall?!)

7. Sentence
Reminder:
Subordinate Conjunctions
Wait, don't these examples have a subject and a verb?!
Why aren't they sentences?
◦ It is because they are subordinate conjunctions.
◦ Since it is time...
◦ When you get to Charlotte...
◦ If you come to the concert...
◦ Because we still need money...

8. Sentence
Reminder:
Subordinate Conjunctions
Subordinate conjunctions accomplish these tasks:
1. They connect two sentences.
2. They make one sentence depend on the other. This
means one part of the sentence is a dependent
clause.
◦ Dependent clauses can be place at the beginning of a
sentence too!
◦ Example:
◦ Because my car was out of gas, I rode my bike.
◦ I rode my bike because my car was out of gas.
3. They show relationships.

9. Sentence
Reminder:
Subordinate Conjunctions
Subordinate conjunctions show these relationships:
Cause & effect: since, so, because
Compare & contrast: even though, though, whereas, while,
although
Place & in what way: how, however, where, wherever
Conditional: if, unless, whether
Relative: that, which, who
Time: before, when, after, as, whenever, while, until

10. Run-ons
A run-on fuses two complete
thoughts (sentences) together
without separating them with
punctuation or conjunctions.
Example run-on errors:
My favorite movie is The Neverending
Story the character Atreyu is my hero.
My brother does a great impersonation
of Kermit the Frog he has always had a
gift for useless talents.

11. How to Correct
Run-ons
Option 1
Place a period at the end of the
first complete thought to form
two separate sentence.
Example run-on error:
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story the
character Atreyu is my hero.
Correction:
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story. The
character Atreyu is my hero.

12. How to Correct
Run-ons
Option 2:
Add a comma and coordinating
conjunction OR a semicolon.
Ex. My favorite movie is The Neverending Story the
character Atreyu is my hero.
Correction: My favorite movie is The Neverending Story,
and the character Atreyu is my hero.
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story; the
character Atreyu is my hero.

13. Comma Splices
A comma splice occurs when the
writer joins two or more
complete sentences with a
comma only.
Example comma splice errors:
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story, the character
Atreyu is my hero.
My brother does a great impersonation of Kermit the Frog,
he has always had a gift for useless talents.

14. How to Correct
Comma Splices
Add a coordinating conjunction
after the comma OR change the
comma into a semicolon.
Example comma splice error:
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story, the character Atreyu is my
hero.
Correction:
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story, and the character Atreyu is
my hero.
My favorite movie is The Neverending Story; the character Atreyu is
my hero.

15. How to Correct
Comma Splices
Add a coordinating conjunction
after the comma OR change the
comma into a semicolon.
Example comma splice error:
My brother does a great impersonation of Kermit the Frog, he has always had a gift for
useless talents.
Correction:
My brother does a great impersonation of Kermit the Frog, and he has always had a gift
for useless talents.
My brother does a great impersonation of Kermit the Frog; he has always had a gift for
useless talents.

16. Read this run-on:
• Dwayne checked his essay for errors before turning it in he felt
certain he would get a good grade.
Which makes this sentence correct?
A. Dwayne checked his essay for errors, before turning it in, he felt certain he would get a good grade.
B. Dwayne checked his essay for errors before turning it in: he felt certain he would get a good grade.
C. Dwayne checked his essay for errors before turning it in; he felt certain that he would get a good grade.
D. Dwayne checked his essay for errors before turning it in he felt certain he would get a good grade.