Revising run-on sentences

  1. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction.

    Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone, they are essential for the hearing-impaired. Revised sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone, but they are essential for the hearing-impaired.

    Revising with a comma and a coordinating conjunction

  2. Use a semicolon (or, if appropriate, a colon or a dash). A semicolon may be used alone; it can also be accompanied by a transitional expression opens in new window.

    Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone, they are essential for the hearing-impaired. Revised sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone; they are essential for the hearing-impaired.

    Revising with a semicolon

  3. Make the clauses into separate sentences.

    Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone, they are essential for the hearing-impaired. Revised sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone. They are essential for the hearing-impaired.

    Revising by separating sentences

  4. Restructure the sentence, perhaps by subordinating one of the clauses.

    Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Gestures are a means of communication for everyone, they are essential for the hearing-impaired. Revised sentence: Although gestures are a means of communication for everyone, they are essential for the hearing-impaired.

    Revising by restructuring the sentence

One of these revision techniques will often work better than the others for a particular sentence. The fourth technique, the one requiring the most extensive revision, is frequently the most effective.

Exercises:

Run-on sentences 1

Run-on sentences 2

Run-on sentences 3

Run-on sentences 4

Run-on sentences 5

Run-on sentences 6