A run-on sentence, a common mistake of writers, occurs when you put two ideas together with no punctuation between them or only a comma. Here's a run-on example:

• A car can also show your personality you show you're economical.

In this example, the first part, "A car can also show your personality," is a complete idea. The second idea begins with "You show," which expresses a new subject and a new verb.

Every run-on sentence calls for its own correction. Most of the time, you will add punctuation and a connecting word. Sometimes, though, you would do better if you rewrote the sentence to make a shorter sentence with only one main idea. Below are some standard methods for correcting run-ons. As you apply these concepts, be sure to check to see if both ideas are complete ideas, also known as independent clauses. Does each idea have its own subject and complete verb? Can each idea stand alone as a sentence? For more help, try the handout on dependent and independent clauses.

1. Find the point where the two ideas join. Put a period. Make two simple sentences.

   A car can also show your personality. You show you're economical.

2. Combine the two ideas into one simple sentence by making one of the ideas into a phrase or adjective or adverb.

   A car can also show your personality, thrifty or extravagant.

3. Find the place where the ideas join and put a comma plus a coordinating conjunction. These conjunctions are connecting words used in compound sentences:

   , and	, for
   , but	, yet
   , so	neither, nor
   , or	either, or

4. Find the place where the ideas join and put a semi-colon (;) and an "adverbial conjunction." These conjunctions are connecting words used in compound sentences:

   ; however,	; then,	; furthermore,
   ; thus,	; moreover,	; also,
   ; for example,	; as a result,	; consequently,
   ; nevertheless,

5. Find the place where the ideas join and put a semi-colon. Do this only if the second idea is closely related to the first idea; for example, the second idea might be a more specific version of the first idea.

   A car can say something about you; it can say you're economical.

6. Find the place where the ideas join and put a subordinating conjunction. These conjunctions are connecting words used in complex sentences. If they are placed between the two ideas, no punctuation is needed.

   when	after	unless	because	who
   before	while	although	since	which
   since	when	even though		that
   as	until	if