The mere fact that a sentence is long does not make it a run-on sentence; sentences are run-ons only when they contain more than one complete idea. A run-on sentence can be as short as four words—for instance: I drive she walks. In this case there are two complete ideas (independent clauses): two subjects paired with two (intransitive) verbs. So as long as clauses are punctuated appropriately, a writer can assemble multiple independent clauses in a single sentence; in fact, a properly constructed sentence can be extended indefinitely.
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This has been bothering me for a while: too many people don’t know the definition of “run-on sentence”. There. Glad I got that off my chest. |
