Give a Run-On the Brush-Off

A comma is a refreshing pause in a busy string of words! It's a breath of fresh air in a sentence that won't quit! And, quite often, it is just thrown in there willy-nilly without regard for the rules of grammar. This often produces the most common form of the infamous run-on sentence; the run-on can be a real problem.

Here is an example of a run-on sentence:

The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today it will take three days for them to be delivered.

Wow! What a mouthful. You need to breathe in there somewhere; perhaps a comma will help?

The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today, it will take three days for them to be delivered.

Wrong! This is essentially two sentences separated by a comma. But that's not the job of a comma! This kind of run-on is referred to as a comma splice, a very common variation of the run-on sentence.

How can we remedy this problem in a method suited to our grammar rules? Well, there are several options:

(1) Just break it into two sentences
The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today. It will take three days for them to be delivered. (This is a bit choppy, but still correct.)

(2) Insert a comma followed directly with an appropriate coordinating conjuction
The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today, and it will take three days for them to be delivered.

or

The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today, but it will take three days for them to be delivered.

(3) Separate the two complete sentences with a semicolon.
The new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today; it will take three days for them to be delivered.

(4) Rewrite part of the sentence to include a preposition.
Although the new shipment of brochures is being mailed out today, it will take three days for them to be delivered.

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