A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are connected without the correct punctuation or a coordinating conjunction. For example: "I submitted my essay it was late" joins two complete thoughts incorrectly.
The two most common forms of run-on sentences are the fused sentence and the comma splice. The fused sentence has no punctuation whatsoever, and the comma splice connects two independent clauses simply with a comma. Either can make it difficult for readers to understand your writing, particularly in a draft, so finding ways to eliminate run-on sentences will help improve the clarity of your writing. To fix a run-on, use a period or semicolon before continuing the thought in separate sentences, or connect individual clauses using words such as and, but, or so. Check out our guide on passive voice vs. active voice for related writing habits. Also, Quetext's Grammar Checker flags run-ons so you can correct them before submitting.