This document provides an agenda for a class discussing run-on sentences and exploratory essays. It includes exercises and examples for identifying and correcting run-on sentences. For the exploratory essay, it emphasizes that the goal is to explore a topic through various sources rather than argue a position. Students are assigned homework to find another source to summarize and to read and annotate a passage on anxiety.

1. Agenda
• Grammar – Run-On Sentences
• Exploratory Essay Review
• Live Writing
• Close
• Homework: 1) Find another possible source.
Do the same summary exercise.
• 2) Read and Annotate “Anxiety: Challenge by
Another Name” pp. 94-97

2. Run-On Sentence Tuesday!

3. Run-On Sentences
• Run-on sentences are independent clauses
that have not been joined correctly.
• But Alisa: What is an Independent Clause?
• Easy: An Independent clause is a word group
that can stand alone as a sentence.
• (This means it 1) has a subject, 2) has a verb
and 3) expresses a complete thought.

4. Giggle. No, seriously: Giggle.

5. Run-On Sentences
• When two independent clauses appear in one
sentence, they MUST be joined in 1 of 2 ways:
1. With a comma and a coordinating
conjunction (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, so)
2. With a semicolon (;) or occasionally with a
colon (:) or a dash (-)

6. Recognizing Run-On Sentences
• Fused Sentence:
• When a writer puts no punctuation mark and
no coordinating conjunction between
independent clauses. Example:
• Air pollution poses risks to all humans it can
be deadly for asthma sufferers.

7. Fixes
• Comma and
coordinating
conjunction:
• Air pollution poses risks
to all humans, and it
can be deadly for
asthma sufferers.
• Semicolon:
• Air pollution poses risks
to all humans; it can be
deadly for asthma
sufferers.

8. Your Turn
• Recognizing run-on
sentences is beneficial
to writers it helps them
eliminate clumsy
writing from their work.
• Fix??

9. Yay! William Faulkner is proud of you.

10. Recognizing Run-On Sentences
• More common is the insidious comma splice –
two (or more) independent clauses joined
with a comma but without a coordinating
conjunction.
• Type A – Comma alone.
• Air pollution poses risks to all humans, it can
be deadly for asthma sufferers.

11. Recognizing Run-On Sentences
• Type B – Comma with a word that is NOT a
coordinating conjunction (this is why we
memorize the FANBOYS).
• Air pollution poses risks to all humans,
however, it can be deadly for asthma
sufferers.
• “However” is a transitional expression and
cannot be used with a comma to join two
independent clauses – use a semicolon.

12. Cute kitten picture

13. Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices
• Choice #1 – Use a Comma and a coordinating
conjunction (FANBOYS – for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, so).
• Example: Air Pollution poses risks to all
humans, but it can be deadly for asthma
sufferers.

14. Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices
• Choice #2 – Use a semicolon (or, if
appropriate, a colon or a dash). Use “degrees
of separation” to determine if colon is ok.
• Example: Air pollution poses risks to all
humans; it can be deadly for asthma sufferers.
• Air pollution poses risks to all humans;
however, it can be deadly for asthma
sufferers.

15. Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices
• Choice #3 – Make the clauses into separate
sentences.
• Example: Air pollution poses risks to all
humans. It can be deadly for asthma sufferers.

16. Revising Run-On Sentences – 4 Choices
• Choice #4 – Restructure the sentence, perhaps
by subordinating (!!!) one of the clauses.
• Example: Although air pollution poses risks to
all humans, it can be deadly for asthma
sufferers.

17. Cute Puppy Picture

18. Want more practice???
• Do Exercise G6-2 (page 250) and/or
• Exercise G6-3

19. Writing Prompt
• Choice A – Evaluate your source. Why is it
credible? What perspective/point of view does it
offer in response to your anchor question? Which
part of the source in particular are you likely to
engage deeply with in your Exploratory Essay.
• Choice B – Describe your situation/scenario. Why
are you curious about/perplexed by it? What do
you hope to satisfy by the time you explore three
different sources/perspectives?

20. Share

21. Exploratory
Essay Revisited
Remember, many paper
assignments call for you to
establish a position and defend
that position with an effective
argument.
However, some assignments are
not argumentative, but rather,
they are exploratory.
Exploratory essays ask questions
and gather information that may
answer these questions.
However, the main point of the
exploratory or inquiry essay is
not to find definite answers. The
main point is to conduct inquiry
into a topic, gather information,
and share that information with
readers.

22. Got that????
• You do not have to argue for a solution to the
problem at this point.
• The point of the exploratory essay is to ask an
inquiry question and find out as much as you
can to try to answer your question. Then write
about your inquiry and findings.

23. Introduction
• Set the context – provide general information about
the main idea, explaining the situation so the reader
can make sense of the topic and the questions you will
ask
• State why the main idea is important – tell the reader
why s/he should care and keep reading. Your goal is to
create a compelling, clear, and educational essay
people will want to read and act upon
• State your research question – compose a question or
two that clearly communicate what you want to
discover and why you are interested in the topic. An
overview of the types of sources you explored might
follow your research question.

24. Looking Ahead: Forecast
• If your inquiry paper is long, you may want to
forecast how you explored your topic by
outlining the structure of your paper, the
sources you considered, and the information
you found in these sources. Your forecast
could read something like this:

25. Sample Forecast
• In order to explore my topic and try to answer my
research question, I began with news sources. I
then conducted research in scholarly sources,
such as peer-reviewed journals. Lastly, I
conducted an interview with a primary source. All
these sources gave me a better understanding of
my topic, and even though I was not able to fully
answer my research questions, I learned a lot and
narrowed my subject for the next paper
assignment, the problem-solution report.

26. Hillary and Tenzing
The first explorers to reach the top of Everest

27. Live Writing
• Extend your journal entry into a Shitty First
Draft of your introduction, or a Shitty First
Draft of your examination and response to
Source Number One.

28. Homework
• 1) Find another possible source.
Do the same summary exercise.
• 2) Read and Annotate “Anxiety:
Challenge by Another Name” pp.
94-97