Which term describes trying to connect two or more independent clauses without needed punctuation?

• A. Run-on sentence
• B. Fragment
• C. Comma splice
• D. Prose

Answer: (A)

Joining two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a coordinating conjunction creates a run-on sentence. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, so when two of them are fused together with no end mark or conjunction, the result is a run-on. For example, “I went to the store I bought bread” shows two complete thoughts stuck together. Fixing it can be as simple as adding a period: “I went to the store. I bought bread,” or using a coordinating conjunction: “I went to the store, and I bought bread.”

A fragment, by contrast, is incomplete and cannot stand alone as a sentence, so it isn’t about joining clauses. Prose simply refers to ordinary writing, not an error. A comma splice is a specific type of run-on where two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, which is a narrowly defined case within the broader idea of a run-on.