What is a Run-on Sentence?

A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses are joined without punctuation or conjunctions. It is considered a grammatical error. For example:

Great team players are essential to winning championships, the 49ers had several team players during the 90's.

An independent clause is a word group that does or could stand alone in a sentence. Two or more independent clauses can be joined to form a complete sentence in the following ways:

Insert a semicolon between the clauses:
- Great team players are essential to winning championships; the 49ers had several team players during the 90's.
Write the two clauses as two separate sentences:
- Great team players are essential to winning championships. The 49ers had several team players during the 90's.
Insert a comma and a conjunction between the clauses:
- Great team players are essential to winning championships, and the 49ers had several team players during the 90's.

It is not correct to simply insert a comma between the clauses; this results in a comma splice.

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