This handout defines dependent and independent clauses and explores how they are treated in standard usage.
Common errors to avoid: comma splices, fused sentences, and fragments.
Run-ons are sentences packed with too many ideas; the writer is “running on” from one idea to the next without punctuating correctly, so the reader doesn’t know how one idea relates to the next. Check out this guide to learn about the several ways to identify and correct run-ons.