Addressing the Error of Fused (Run-on) Sentences
Although newer forms of technology allow technical communicators to share information in many different modes, writing is still one of the most used and necessary modes of distribution. Employers in many different fields are dependent upon skilled writers to help with a number of tasks from writing blogs, creating documents and manuals, and much more. However, common usage errors can imply that a skilled writer might have overstated their qualifications. Fused, or run-on sentences as they are commonly referred to, are among the most notorious usage errors a technical writer can make.
Run-on sentences should be carefully screened for when reviewing documentation. In the article, Do Writing Errors Bother Professionals? An Analysis of the Most Bothersome Errors and How the Writer’s Ethos is Affected, Carolyn Gubala, Kara Larson, and Lisa Meloncon conduct a research experiment to identify the most notorious usage errors. The authors state of the results, “We found that professionals were most bothered by wrong words, followed by run-on sentences and fragments”, see Table 5. below (p.263). Professional writers are supposed to represent some of the more knowledgeable scholars in the field when it comes to usage and usage errors. That being said, run-on sentences should be avoided at all costs.
Sentences are broken down into three basic categories, simple, compound, and complex. A fused or run-on sentence is created when improperly combining two or more independent clauses into a single sentence. In the book, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Joseph Williams and Joseph Bizup break down basic sentences by saying, “If a sentence has just one independent clause… it is simple… If it has two or more independent clauses, it is compound… If it has an independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses, it is complex” (p. 180–181). Most run-on sentence mistakes are made by incorrectly fusing, hence the alternative term fused sentences, both independent and subordinate clauses together.
Improper usage of a compound sentence is probably one of the most common error usages of fused or run-on sentences. The 17th Addition of The Chicago Manual of Style Online states, “A compound sentence contains two independent clauses (called coordinate clauses) with no dependent clause” (CMoS 5.218). To correct a run-on sentence, writers must either separate the clauses into separate sentences or connect the independent clauses with the correct punctuation.
There are three ways to correct fused or run-on sentences. Markel and Selber discuss run-on sentences in Chapter 10 of the book, Technical Communication, stating, “A run-on sentence can be corrected in the same three ways as a comma splice” (p. 221). They provide examples of correcting a fused or run-on sentence by simply adding a comma and coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or separating the independent clauses by using terminal punctuation.
Below are some examples of incorrect sentence structure resulting in a run-on sentence, and the proper correction and usage.
Correcting with a comma and coordinating conjunction:
Incorrect Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product it keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Correct Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product, and it keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Correcting with a semicolon:
Incorrect Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product it keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Correct Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product; it keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Correcting with terminal punctuation:
Incorrect Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product it keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Correct Usage: The RTIC tumbler is the most popular product. It keeps beverages at the desired temperature for extended periods of time.
Basic usage errors can quickly invalidate the hard-earned skills and experience technical communicators gain from years of studying the field in both undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Some employers are more forgiving than others, but it can be difficult to regain trust from an employer once it is lost. That is why it is important for technical communicators to have a good knowledge and understanding of usage errors, and to go the extra mile of reviewing work before submitting it.
References
CMoS. (2017). 17th Edition. The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www-chicagomanualofstyle-org.ezproxy.shsu.edu/book/ed17/frontmatter/toc.html.
Gubala, C., Larson, K., & Melonçon, L. (2020). Do writing errors bother professionals? an analysis of the most bothersome errors and how the writer’s ethos is affected. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 34(3), 250–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651920910205
Markel, M. H., & Selber, S. A. (2021). Chapter 10 Writing Correct and Effective Sentences. In Technical communication (pp. 221–222). essay, Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Williams, J. M., & Bizup, J. (2020). Appendix I Punctuation. In Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (pp. 180–181). essay, Pearson.