What are some strategies for teaching run-on sentences?

Strategies to teach about run-on sentences include writing the same sentence in different ways so that students can see the importance of grammar and punctuation. For example, it's possible to break up a long sentence with a comma, semi-colon, dash or into two sentences.

A run-on sentence includes statements or ideas without proper punctuation. This makes the sentence difficult to clearly understand. Forms of punctuation, such as a comma or period, make it easier to see where one idea ends and another idea begins. It also makes it simpler to understand the overall meaning conveyed.

Oftentimes, run-on sentences join two independent clauses. A comma or other forms of punctuation can help provide space between those clauses in a sentence. Other words that can help connect two ideas include "however" or "therefore," or "and."