run-on sentence

American  

noun

1. a written sequence of two or more main clauses that are not separated by a period or semicolon or joined by a conjunction.

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run-on sentence Cultural  

1. A grammatically faulty sentence in which two or more main or independent clauses are joined without a word to connect them or a punctuation mark to separate them: “The fog was thick he could not find his way home.” The error can be corrected by adding a conjunction with a comma (“The fog was thick, and he could not find his way home”) or by separating the two clauses with a semicolon (“The fog was thick; he could not find his way home”).

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Etymology

Origin of run-on sentence

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

But if the above resembles a run-on sentence, here’s the reason: the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance defies easy description.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

Britney Spears spoke for more than 20 minutes, in what felt like a breathless run-on sentence.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2021

What followed instead was an hour of presidential stream of consciousness as Mr. Trump drifted seemingly at random from one topic to another, often in the same run-on sentence.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2020

And yes, it’s usually said in a run-on sentence.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2019

She talked like a run-on sentence, no pauses or periods.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway