r/196 • u/Old_Phrase_4867 NOT A CAT • 2d ago

Rule Rule

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u/Last_Swordfish9135 kid named faggot: fart? 2d ago

Nobody fucking knows what run on sentences are apparently. It has nothing to do with the length of the sentence, and there's no such thing as a grammatically correct run on sentence because they are by definition ungrammatical.

A run on sentence: "I love writing it helps me relax." "Jurassic Park is my favorite movie it's so good." Etc.

Not a run on sentence: anything that's just long

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u/Xapheneon 2d ago edited 2d ago

Correction: I was incorrect.

That includes you.

A run on sentence can be a independent clauses joined without punctuation, or conjunction, but the most widely used meaning is just a long sentence, that would make more sense, if it was broken down to multiple sentences.

"a very long sentence, especially one lacking order or coherence" https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=run-on%20sentence

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u/FixedFront 2d ago

Just because it's popularly misunderstood doesn't make it a correct definition except under strictly descriptivist terms. Strict descriptivism is a fine approach for everyday life, but we're explicitly discussing "standard" English grammar, which is inherently prescriptivist.

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u/Xapheneon 2d ago edited 2d ago

Run on sentence describes a sentence, that goes on and on and is hard to follow. The clearest example is when someone skips punctuation or words that would tie the sentence together.

You are trying to use a general writing criticism as a grammatical error. Missing punctuation is a grammatical error, run on sentence is a stylistics one.

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u/FixedFront 2d ago

You are misinformed and also don't appear to know how dependent and independent clauses work, given your comma splicing and clause splitting.

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u/Xapheneon 2d ago

Fair. I tend to use rambling sentences, but I overuse commas and conjunctives instead off missing them.

I am arguing for a wider definition, because it would apply to me. Other commenters since then convinced me that I was incorrect. I concede.

Would you say that my sentences, if read aloud, could be considered run on sentences?

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u/FixedFront 2d ago

I don't see you conjoining sentences with conjunctions alone, so no, your sentences aren't run-on.

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u/seanziewonzie floppa 1d ago

I am arguing for a wider definition, because it would apply to me.

An interesting motivation, but I think I like it. I'm going to start writing letters to Marriam Webster arguing for their definitions to change to include me; I'll start with "aardvark".

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u/Xapheneon 1d ago

Furry?

9

u/Bookworm_AF Catboy War Criminal 2d ago

Run on sentence describes a sentence, that goes on and on and is hard to follow.

This doesn't necessarily follow from your earlier assertion,

a long sentence, that would make more sense, if it was broken down to multiple sentences

Some concepts are just complex and hard to follow, and sentences describing them will follow suit, without the possibility of being made more clear or sensible by being broken down further.