ABAC Writing Center Grammar Workshop

1
ABAC Writing CenterGrammar Workshop

• Run-on Sentences
• Comma Splices

2
Run-on Sentences

• are independent clauses that have not been joined
  correctly.
• An independent clause is a word group that can
  stand alone as a sentence.

3
Types of run-on sentences

• Comma splice a special type of run-on sentence
  (discussed separately)

4
Types of run-on sentences

• 2. Fused sentence two independent clauses
  joined with no punctuation
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream Lisa
  prefers vanilla.

5
Types of run-on sentences

• 3. And run-on two or more independent clauses
  joined with coordinating conjunctions without
  punctuation
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream but Lisa
  prefers vanilla.

6
Comma splices

• are a special type of run-on sentence where two
  independent clauses are joined using only a comma
  (without a coordinating conjunction).
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream, Lisa
  prefers vanilla.

7
Correcting run-on sentences AND comma splices

• There are 5 ways to correct
• Join the independent clauses with a coordinating
  conjunction AND a comma
• Join the independent clauses with a semicolon if
  they are closely related
• Make the independent clauses into separate
  sentences
• Restructure the sentence by turning one of the
  independent clauses into a dependent clause
• Transform the clauses into a single independent
  clause

8
Correction method 1

• Use a comma and coordinating conjunction
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream, Lisa
  prefers vanilla. (Comma splice)
• Correct Jamie likes chocolate ice cream, but
  Lisa prefers vanilla.

9
Correction method 2

• Use a semicolon with closely related independent
  clauses
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream Lisa
  prefers vanilla. (Fused Sentence)
• Correct Jamie likes chocolate ice cream Lisa
  prefers vanilla.

10
Correction method 3

• Make the independent clauses into separate
  sentences
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream Lisa
  prefers vanilla. (Fused Sentence)
• Correct Jamie likes chocolate ice cream. Lisa
  prefers vanilla.

11
Correction method 4

• Subordinate one of the independent clauses
  (making it a dependent clause)
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream, Lisa
  prefers vanilla. (Comma Splice)
• Correct Although Jamie likes chocolate ice
  cream, Lisa prefers vanilla.

12
Correction method 5

• Transform the clauses into a single independent
  clause
• Wrong Jamie likes chocolate ice cream Lisa
  prefers vanilla. (Fused Sentence)
• Correct Jamie, unlike Lisa who prefers vanilla,
  likes chocolate ice cream.

13
Conjunctions

• Remember the difference between coordinating and
  subordinating conjunctions.

14
Coordinating conjunctions

• draw equal attention to two or more ideas
• Join independent clauses
• My grandmother is blind, but her hearing is sharp.

15
FANBOYS

• Use the acronym FANBOYS to help you identify
  coordinating conjunctions
• for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

16
Subordinating conjunctions

• give unequal attention to two or more ideas
• join a dependent clause to an independent clause
• Although my grandmother is blind, her hearing is
  sharp.

17
A long list!

• There are many subordinating conjunctions. Here
  are a few