Run-on or Cumulative

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. ~Abigail Adams

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A run on sentence can go on for what seems a long time, never really saying anything.
What makes up a run on sentence?

When a person ends a sentence to quick, it is considered a fragment.

Johnny went.

Where did Johnny go?

Look at the following sentence.
I saw a teacher who cares.
 
The author of this sentence may have wanted to write:
I saw a teacher. Who cares? A complete sentence followed by a question.
 
Using periods (and other forms of punctuation) and knowing when to end a sentence are very important. If you don't end a sentence appropriately, the intended meaning can be changed, or it can be misunderstood. Sometimes the meaning is simply incomprehensible.
 
When a person learns to write English sentences and compositions, one common problem is writing sentences that are too long. When a sentence ends too quickly, it is called a sentence fragment. When a sentence has too many ideas and runs on too long, it is called a run-on sentence. If you have this problem, don't worry. It is quite easy to fix.
 
The first thing you need to do is identify when a sentence is a run-on. A run-on is a sentence that really has TWO sentences (or complete ideas) INCORRECTLY combined into one. It is okay to combine two sentences into one, but you must follow some rules.
 
You might be wondering: "What is a sentence?" A sentence consists of 3 things:
 
1) a subject (the noun or proper noun that is performing the action.)
 
2) a verb (that would be the action)
 
3) a complete idea (we’re not left waiting to read another word. It is complete)
 
The run on is not a complete idea. Too many words later you realize there is no complete thought in the sentence turned paragraph.
 
Timmy went to the store for his mother and bought a loaf of bread and he came back home and got ready for the dance that evening and then he felt queasy because he was unsure if his date would really like him and he passed out.
 
There is really a complete idea here with:  Timmy went to the store for his mom.
 
A cumulative sentence has a different meaning.
 
An independent clause  followed by a series of subordinate constructions (phrases  or clauses that gather details about a person, place, event, or idea. It gathers. The sentence doesn’t run on and on.  It is building into a complete a sentence; a complete thought.
 
To me, a writer, this seems like both the sentences are the same, but with further study they are different in the flow and fluid feel when they come from your lips.
 
If you read out loud, (and I advise everyone to do this with their work) or at least HEAR it spoken, you’ll see the difference in the sounds of the sentences.
 
Timmy, in his youth, went to the store one day to get him mom a loaf of bread, only to return and realize he had to get ready for the party of which he was unsure his date would like him.
 
Complete thought. Cumulative. It builds into a sentence and gives you a complete thought.

Now you try and practice. Take a kernel sentence like, Jane ran. Now run with it! Make it a cumulative sentence and not a run-on!

Get to work writers!

Lolly,Lolly,Lolly get your adverbs here....

Adverbs

As we learned in school or from Schoolhouse Rock, adverbs are a part of speech that modifies other parts of our language, like verbs and clauses. They tell us the where, when, and why things happen.

Do you remember the song from television? If you’re too young to remember maybe go to your local library and borrow the Schoolhouse Rock DVD. I did and my son loved it. He no longer wonders WHY I walk around singing these silly songs because they are now embedded in his mind too as he finds himself singing them.

Conjunction junction what’s your function…

Conjunctions are words that connect other groups of words. Words like AND, BUT, OR, FOR, YET, NOR and SO. Remember they all have fewer than four letters.

These cute little coordinating conjunctions need to be used with special care in your writing. Just like the adverb, overuse can kill your beautiful writing. I see so many of my fellow beginner writer’s (and some old shoes) still over-using the word AND and BUT. I myself tend to over-use the word ‘then’ and ‘so’ to the point I even annoy myself. I have since learned to keep my eye out on these mishaps, make myself aware and trying not to over-use them in my creative writing. (note: then and now are not coordinating conjunctions)

Run-on Sentences

These are annoying sentences to me also. Often after a re-read you’ll see that YOU too have some of these run-on sentences. There is a fix for the problem. Try and watch what you write to make sure that you’re not just letting off steam and allowing it to flow onto the keyboard blatantly displayed on your screen. Form a complete sentence. If you see two of them, then more than likely you have a run on sentence.

The links to the words, ADVERBS, CONJUNCTIONS and RUN-ON SENTENCES can more than explain all of the intricate details of the correct sentence structure. (The TITLE is a link to School House Rock!)I am no English major for sure and as I plug away at my writing I am finding a need to rediscover all the grammar that escaped me. This is why I am sharing it with you, my reader. You are on this journey with me and we can learn all the ins and outs together.

Now remember this, DON’T over-use adverbs, conjunctions or run-ons. Sure we need the adverb, we love the conjunction BUT refrain from over-using them to where the reader is not finding your work interesting or intriguing, BUT annoying.

As writers we want to reel the reader in with our craft and knowledge, our prose and style. Don’t let the reader get bored by saying, "There is just too much of this and that."

Find your niche, then decide in revision if it is over-done. Eliminate what doesn’t MOVE THE STORY ALONG!

Rock On on Writers!


FYI: The picture today is of the Baltimore Inner Harbor Skyline, taken from on top of Federal Hill.