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📚 When the Sentence Refuses to Stop
📚 When the Sentence Refuses to Stop
Here is a real type of error seen in GCSE papers every year: "She walked into the room it was dark she couldn't see anything the curtains were drawn tight against the afternoon sun she reached for the switch nothing happened."
Every idea is there. None of it is separated. This is a run-on sentence — and it costs marks. Knowing where to stop a sentence is not optional at GCSE. It is the foundation of AO6.
What is a run-on sentence?: <strong>A run-on sentence</strong> is when two or more complete sentences are written without any punctuation between them — no full stop, no semicolon, no conjunction.<br><br><strong>Run-on:</strong> <em>“The alarm rang nobody moved.”</em><br><strong>Fixed:</strong> <em>“The alarm rang. Nobody moved.”</em><br><em>or: “The alarm rang; nobody moved.”</em><br><br><strong>Quick test:</strong> can you put a full stop anywhere in the middle and still have two complete sentences on each side? If yes — you have a run-on.
English Language glossary
- What is a run-on sentence?
- <strong>A run-on sentence</strong> is when two or more complete sentences are written without any punctuation between them — no full stop, no semicolon, no conjunction.<br><br><strong>Run-on:</strong> <em>“The alarm rang nobody moved.”</em><br><strong>Fixed:</strong> <em>“The alarm rang. Nobody moved.”</em><br><em>or: “The alarm rang; nobody moved.”</em><br><br><strong>Quick test:</strong> can you put a full stop anywhere in the middle and still have two complete sentences on each side? If yes — you have a run-on.
- What is a sentence fragment?
- <strong>A sentence fragment</strong> is a group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a key part — usually no main verb, or no subject, or no complete thought.<br><br><strong>Fragment:</strong> <em>“Running as fast as possible. Until she could run no more.”</em><br><strong>Fixed:</strong> <em>“She ran as fast as possible, until she could run no more.”</em><br><br><strong>Test:</strong> does the sentence have (1) a subject, (2) a main verb, (3) a complete meaning? If any is missing — it is a fragment.
🔍 Run-Ons and Fragments: The Two Boundary Failures
Sentence-boundary errors come in two forms. Both lose marks. Both are fixable.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Which of the following is a run-on sentence?
Tap an answer to check it