Fixing a “Fused” Sentence

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Some Things Belong Together…

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But Some Things Don’t Belong Together….

Children’s toys

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GumShoe

Gum on shoe

• Likewise, 2 parts of a sentence that can stand alone but are not joined together properly, DO NOT belong together.

The name for this problem is “a run-on” or fused sentence.

What Are Run-Ons?

• A run-on is 2 complete thoughts that run together with no adequate sign given to mark the break between them.

• To correct a run-on sentence, something must be placed between the 2 complete thoughts.

People often write run-ons when the 2nd

complete thought

begins with:

Correcting Run-Ons

• Molly’s cat ate a lot of junk food it made her sick.

• Even if you add a comma like this….

• Molly’s cat ate a lot of

junk food, it made her sick.

• ..it would still be wrong, but now it would be a comma splice.

There are 4 common ways to correct a run-on.

Method #1: Use a period to break the 2 complete thoughts into separate sentences. • Molly’s cat ate a lot of

junk food. It made her sick.

So…..

Molly’s cat ate a lot of junk food it made her

sick.

Becomes….

Another Example……

• Julie was a mime she pretended to be in a glass box.

How can we correct this sentence?

Julie was a mime. She pretended to be in a glass box.

Method #2: Add a comma plus a joining word.

Joining words can be:

And

But

For

Or

Nor

So

Yet

• Adam gave Sara a very special present the green, slimy frog grossed her out.

• How can this sentence be corrected using a comma and a joining word?

• Adam gave Sara a very special present, but the green, slimy frog grossed her out.

Remember 3 things:

1) I may be green and slimy but I have a lot of love to give.

2) You MUST add the comma with the joining word, or you will get a comma splice.

3) I eat comma splices for breakfast.

Another Example….

Pat gets nervous on the tea cup ride he is not going to ride the roller coaster.

How can we correct this sentence?

Pat gets nervous on the tea cup ride, so he is not going to ride the roller coaster.

Method #3: Use a semi-colon to mark a

break between the 2 thoughts. In school, semicolon was teased for being funny looking.

Heh heh. Your

name says

“colon!” What

are you

anyway, a

period or a

comma??

Actually, I am a combination of a

period and a comma.

Boy, am I glad semicolons don’t wear underwear.

Semicolon grew up but still suffered from an identity crisis. What did it mean to be both a period and a comma?

Cheer up, Semicolon. You can do things that

commas can’t. You can combine two complete

thoughts all by yourself!

“Semi” means incomplete. I feel like such a failure

sometimes.

Some people really like you, semicolon. I even have a patient that dressed up like you for Halloween.

Although he is admittedly a little crazy.

Let the Semicolon be your friend….

The rain feels cool and refreshing it washes the world clean.

The house definitely looks haunted all the windows are broken and the shingles are falling off.

The rain feels cool

and refreshing; it washes the world clean.

The house definitely looks haunted; all the windows are broken, and the shingles are falling off.

Semicolon and a Transitional Word

Sometimes Semicolon hangs out with his

buddy the transitional word.

• Here are some other transitional words:

• On the other hand• Meanwhile• Otherwise• In addition• Moreover• Furthermore• As a result• Thus• Consequently• Therefore

• I stumbled into poison ivy my body was itchy all over.

• I stumbled into poison ivy; therefore, my body was itchy all over.

How could we correct these sentences using

a transitional word?

Sam was going to ask Amanda to the dance he chickened out at the last minute.

Sam was going to ask Amanda to the dance; however, he chickened out at the last minute.

Another Example……

I happen to think shrimp are the cockroaches of the sea I would have come over for your seafood party.

If I lived in your garage, you would smoosh me

with a shoe.

How can we connect these thoughts into one sentence

using a semicolon and a transitional word?

I happen to think shrimp are the cockroaches of the sea; otherwise, I would have come over for your seafood party.

Method #4: Subordination

Batman and Robin are a team, but….

Batman is important….

…while Robin is less important, or

subordinate to Batman.

Holy subordination

Batman!!

Subordination is a way of showing that one thought in a sentence is not as

important as another thought.

Subordination Examples• When we subordinate, we use

dependent words such as:

• After• Although• As• Because• Before• Even though• If• Since• Unless• Until• When• While

• When the garbage truck rumbled by, I woke up from my sleep.

• Before I went to summer camp, I didn’t know how to swim.

• I don’t eat meat because I once worked at a processing plant.

• Although Martin pretended to not be nervous, he was dying inside.

Now that you’ve learned the 4 basic ways to correct run-on sentences, it’s time to practice your skills……

• Which of these sentences is a run-on or fused sentence?

• Although Polly wants a cracker, she has to settle for bird seed.

• Dan wins first place in the high jump and second place in the 400 meter run.

• Judy wants to canoe around the island but a storm is brewing.

Why is this sentence a run-on?

It is missing a comma.

How could we correct this run-on/comma splice sentence?

• Ryan focuses very intently when he plays video games, you could drop a bowling bowl on the floor and he wouldn’t hear it.

• First, let’s use a semicolon…where should we put it?• Ryan focuses very intently when he plays video games;

you could drop a bowling bowl on the floor and he wouldn’t hear it.

• Next, let’s use a comma, a semicolon, and a transitional word.

• Ryan focuses very intently when he plays video games; thus, you could drop a bowling bowl on the floor and he wouldn’t hear it.

How could we correct this run-on/comma splice sentence?

• Amy is a black belt in karate she can break a cement block with her hand.

• First, let’s use a semicolon…where should we put it?

• Amy is a black belt in karate; she can break a cement block with her hand.

• Now, let’s try using a comma and a joining word:• Amy is a black belt in karate, and she can break

a cement block with her hand.

How could we correct this run-on/comma splice sentence?

• Lisa usually does not like going to rock concerts, she makes an exception for her favorite band, The Rolling Stones.

• First, try inserting a semicolon, a transitional word, and a comma.

• Lisa usually does not like going to rock concerts; however, she makes an exception for her favorite band, The Rolling Stones.

• Now, try adding a dependent word in order to “subordinate” the first clause:

• While Lisa usually does not like going to rock concerts, she makes an exception for her favorite band, The Rolling Stones.

Now that you know the 4 methods of connecting two complete thoughts……

You can set your “fused”

sentences free from

grammatical prison!