One thing I find is that people always tend to have a lot to say. Most people will take the time to punctuate their sentences. I can understand the need for brevity in today's society, but when your sentences go on without any punctuation whatsoever, it leaves room for misinterpretation. Not to mention it just looks sloppy and like a wall of text. Here is an example of a run-on sentence:
"Today I went to the mall with my mother and we picked up some shoes purses socks and even some dresses I love dresses because they are so pretty and they flow too do you like dresses after that we went to the restaurant down the street for some food it was yummy I had a cheeseburger and my mother had one too it was so delicious we will totally go back there again because we loved it!"
While the words do make sense in that order, there are just too many thoughts going on. Try reading that out loud to yourself and see if you get stuck or have to stop and look at the sentence to figure out what is what.
Another simple trick; if you can't finish it all in one breath, you should add some punctuation! Here is the same sentence, punctuated:
"Today I went to the mall with my mother. We picked up some shoes, purses, socks, and even some dresses. I love dresses because they are so pretty, and they flow too. Do you like dresses? After that we went to the restaurant down the street for some food. It was yummy; I had a cheeseburger and my mother had one too. It was so delicious. We will totally go back there again because we loved it!"See the difference? It is much easier to read now. Run-on sentences don't always have to be so long either. They can be just as common when they are smaller. Here's another example:
"I am a man I like to drive fast cars."Again, the problem here is that there is no punctuation between the two separate thoughts of 'I am a man' and 'I like to drive trucks'. There are many ways we can fix this, but here are two:
"I am a man, and I like to drive fast cars."
"I am a man; I like to drive fast cars."It's a simple principle, but one that can be easy to overlook. When in doubt... punctuate! One simple punctuation mark can change the meaning, tone or flow of a sentence.
I hope you've enjoyed this first Tip. I'll link some resources to further help you on your quest!
And lastly, here is a grammar quiz to see how well you know your run-on sentences: