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run-on

run-on

3 7.3
Continuing the sentence past a line break without a pause
  • adjective
  • /ˈrʌnˌɑn/
  • Literature
: sin pausa
  • It's run-on sentences, it's mangled verbiage...
  • a run-on sentence

Examples

  • The poem is filled with run-on lines that seem to flow seamlessly from one to another.

  • A few stories were little more than extended run-on sentences, almost stream-of-consciousness retellings.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The man is one long run-on sentence.

    Blog text (30)
  • How about that for a run-on sentence!

    Blog text (6)
  • In other news, I like run-on sentences.

    Blog text (26)
  • For Trio A is itself a sort of run-on sentence.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Honestly, every single sentence in the book is a run-on.

    Blog text (17)
  • Paragraphs 1 and 2 each have what is known as a run-on sentence.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I know that's a run-on sentence, but it could be tweaked a little.

    Blog text (14)
  • In her essay, she struggled with run-on verses that made it difficult to follow her argument.

Antonyms

29 4.4

Not whole because it is broken into separate parts

13 6.0

Not clear or organized, with ideas that jump around

end-stopped
  • Literature
1 8.2

A line in a poem that ends with a pause and often has a punctuation mark

How Continuous

to enjamb
  • Literature
1 9.9
run-on
  • Literature
3 7.3
end-stopped
  • Literature
1 8.2

Surface Forms

run-on positive

Morphology

run-on = run + on (transparent) = run + on

Formed from the phrasal verb 'run on' meaning 'continue', so learners who know 'run' + 'on' can derive the adjectival meaning.

Etymology

Run-on comes from the parts run and on, which together mean 'to keep going'. So a run-on line in poetry 'runs on' into the next line without a normal pause, making the meaning flow forward.