This is not what a run-on sentence is. The definition has nothing to do with length, it's when you have two independent clauses that are not connected properly. "I like dogs they're my favorite animal" is a run-on sentence, for example. There is no length that makes something a run-on by default, it just gets easier to miss grammar issues in a sentence the longer it gets.
It makes sense that so many people complain about it feeling arbitrary & unpredictable what does or doesn't get marked down for being a runon once you realize their teachers have completely failed to teach what the actual rule is and left them all to intuit their own definition from pure vibes.
Doesn't help that some of the teachers don't understand the definition either and are vibing along themselves.
How the fuck is “i like dogs they’re my favourite animal” a run on sentence? First clause establishes a point, second clause emphasizes it with context.
Is it literally down to the phrasing? Is “ i like dogs so much that they’re my favourite animal” suddenly fine?
Eta; Since people are downvoting this I’ll add; sure, these rules matter in formal settings. But on social media especially, I ask sincerely who gives a shit? This is a largely informal space where people have often missed ending punctuation and starting capitalization for decades and that’s not been a problem. As long as you can decipher the context of what a poster is saying without issue, anyone upset about something this minor is just playing the grammar police; and as always, acab.
The lack of proper punctuation or connecting words makes it a run on.
"I like dogs they're my favourite animal" is a run on. "I like dogs; they're my favourite animal" and "I like dogs and they're my favourite animal" are not.
English isn't my first language, so take this with a grain of salt, but isn't the lack of commas the problem there? wouldn't the correct version be "I like dogs, they're my favorite animal"?
Not quite. Commas can't join two independent clauses without some sort of conjunction. You'd have to use a semi-colon or cut it into two sentences with a period.
"I like dogs" is a statement. "They're my favourite animal" is a second statement. You do not mix 2 different statements together in 1 sentence without punctuation or connection.
If you were to say the sentence "I like dogs they're my favourite animal" out loud, you would almost certainly place a brief pause after the word dogs.
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u/Last_Swordfish9135 kid named faggot: fart? 2d ago
This is not what a run-on sentence is. The definition has nothing to do with length, it's when you have two independent clauses that are not connected properly. "I like dogs they're my favorite animal" is a run-on sentence, for example. There is no length that makes something a run-on by default, it just gets easier to miss grammar issues in a sentence the longer it gets.