Skip to main content

Answer : Run-ons, Comma Splices, and Fused Sentences

OWL logo

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.



Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.


The original sentences are in italics. Corrected sentences are in bold.

1. He enjoys walking through the country. He often goes backpacking on his vacations.

He enjoys walking through the country, and he often goes backpacking on his vacations.

2. He often watched TV when there were only reruns. She preferred to read instead.

He often watched TV when there were only reruns; she preferred to read instead.

-OR-

He often watched TV when there were only reruns; however, she preferred to read instead.

3. They weren't dangerous criminals they were detectives in disguise.

They weren't dangerous criminals; they were detectives in disguise.

4. I didn't know which job I wanted I was too confused to decide.

I didn't know which job I wanted, so I was too confused to decide.

Back to Questions