Run On Sentences for Kids: Stop Sentences From Crashing (Grade 4 and 5 English)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Today we are fixing run on sentences. A run on sentence happens when two complete thoughts crash together with nothing to separate them. Let's learn to spot them and stop them!

Remember, a complete sentence has a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. My cat sleeps a lot. That is one complete thought. It can stand on its own.

Now listen to this. My cat sleeps a lot she naps in the sun. There are two complete thoughts, but nothing stops between them. That is a run on sentence.

Fix number one. Split it into two sentences with a full stop and a capital letter. My cat sleeps a lot. She naps in the sun. Simple and clear!

Fix number two. Join the thoughts with a comma and a conjunction like and, but or so. My cat sleeps a lot, and she naps in the sun. The comma alone is not enough. You need both.

Fix number three. Use a semicolon to join two closely related thoughts. My cat sleeps a lot; she naps in the sun. A semicolon is like a gentle stop, stronger than a comma.

Now it's your turn. Fix this run on. We went to the park it started to rain. Pause and try. One fix is, We went to the park, but it started to rain. A full stop works too!

Great job! A run on sentence has two complete thoughts crashing together. Fix it with a full stop, a comma and a conjunction, or a semicolon. Practice fixing run on sentences in the English Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!