Prepared by Mr.

Meyphalla Oudom 1

03-Nov-20
1. Disruptive Modifiers 8. Pronoun Antecedents
2. Split Infinitives 9. Parallel Structures
3. Wordy Sentences 10. Comma Splices
4.Choppy Sentences 11. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
5. Stringy Sentences 12. Sentence Fragments
6. Double Negative 13. Subject and Verb Agreements
7. Squinting Modifiers 14. Run-on Sentence

03-Nov-20 2
A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two independent clauses are not joined
properly. There are two types of run-on sentence: Comma-splice and Fused sentence.
You may notice a run-on sentence when:
i) two main clauses are separated only by a comma; as,
 Thida passed the exam, she had studies hard.
 He got a flat tire, he could not come to class on time.
ii) no punctuation between two main clauses; as,
 Bora missed the test he failed the subject.
 She has won a scholarship she is so happy.
iii) two main clauses joined without a comma before the coordinating conjunction.
 Thida missed her mum so she went to visit her.
 They have saved money for long and they can buy a house now.
03-Nov-20 3
i) Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join the independent clauses.
 Thida passed the exam, for she had studied hard.
 He got a flat tire, so he could not come to class on time.
 Bora missed the test, so he failed the subject.
 She has won a scholarship, and she is so happy.
 Thida missed her mum, so she went to visit her.
 They have saved money for long, and they can buy a house now.

03-Nov-20 4
ii) Use a semi-colon to join the independent clauses.

 Thida passed the exam; she had studied hard.

 He got a flat tire; he could not come to class on time.

 Bora missed the test; he failed the subject.

 She has won a scholarship; she is so happy.

 Thida missed her mum; she went to visit her.

 They have saved money for long; they can buy a house now.

03-Nov-20 5
iii) Use a semi-colon and a transitional expression to join the independent
clauses.
 Thida had studied hard; as a result, she passed the exam.
 He got a flat tire; therefore, he could not come to class on time.
 Bora missed the test; hence, he failed the subject.
 She has won a scholarship; moreover, she is so happy.
 Thida missed her mum; thus, she went to visit her.
 They have saved money for long; furthermore, they can buy a house now.

03-Nov-20 6
iv) Make one of the independent clauses dependent.
 Thida passed the exam because she had studied hard.
 As he got a flat tire, he could not come to class on time.
 Since Bora missed the test, he failed the subject.
 After she has won a scholarship, she is so happy.
 When Thida missed her mum, she went to visit her.
 Because they have saved money for long, they can buy a house now.

03-Nov-20 7
v) Separate the independent clauses into sentences.
 Thida passed the exam. She had studied hard.
 He got a flat tire. He could not come to class on time.
 Bora missed the test. He failed the subject.
 She has won a scholarship. She is so happy.
 Thida missed her mum. She went to visit her.
 They have saved money for long. They can buy a house now.

03-Nov-20 8
What is comma splice?

A comma splice is a sentence problem which occurs when you use a comma to
join two complete sentences without placing an appropriate joining word between
them.
 Here are examples of comma splice:

• They have finished the assignment, they have not submitted it.
• She was sick, she didn't come to class.
• He took a rest, he was so tired.

03-Nov-20 9
Method 1: Use a period.

Separate it into two simple sentences by simply replacing the comma with a full-
stop.

Look at the correction below:

 They have finished the assignment. They have not submitted it. √

 She was sick. She didn't come to class. √

 He took a rest. He was so tired. √

03-Nov-20 10
Method 2: Use a semi-colon.

If you want to put the two ideas in one sentence, use a semi-colon rather than a full-
stop.

Look at the correction below:

 They have finished the assignment; they have not submitted it. √

 She was sick; she didn't come to class. √

 He took a rest; he was so tired. √

03-Nov-20 11
Method 3: Use a coordinating conjunction.

Like the semi-colon, a conjunction allows you to combine your two ideas in a single
sentence. Besides joining ideas, a coordinating conjunction also indicate the logical
relationship between the two ideas.

Look at the correction below:

They have finished the assignment, but they have not submitted it. √

She was sick, so she didn't come to class. √

He took a rest; for he was so tired. √

03-Nov-20 12
Method 4: Use a subordinating conjunction.

Subordinating conjunctions are similar to coordinating conjunctions in that they allow

you to indicate the logical relationship between two independent clauses. A little
difference is that one idea will become less important than another (dependent clause).

Look at the correction below:

 Although they have finished the assignment, they have not submitted it. √

 Since she was sick, she didn't come to class. √

 He took a rest because he was so tired. √

03-Nov-20 13
03-Nov-20 14