Endlossatz

Endlossatz, also known as endless sentence or run-on sentence, is a grammatical error where two or more independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunction. This results in a sentence that is difficult to read and understand because it lacks clear breaks between the main ideas.

There are several ways an endlossatz can occur. One common type is the fused sentence, where two independent clauses are simply placed next to each other with no punctuation. For example, "The dog barked loudly the cat ran away." Another form is the comma splice, where two independent clauses are joined only by a comma. An example would be, "It was raining, we decided to stay inside."

Correcting an endlossatz involves separating the independent clauses into distinct sentences, joining them with a coordinating conjunction (like and, but, or so) preceded by a comma, or using a semicolon. For instance, the fused sentence "The dog barked loudly the cat ran away" could be corrected as "The dog barked loudly. The cat ran away." or "The dog barked loudly, and the cat ran away." Similarly, the comma splice "It was raining, we decided to stay inside" could become "It was raining; we decided to stay inside." or "It was raining, so we decided to stay inside." Mastering the correct use of punctuation and conjunctions is key to avoiding endlossatz and ensuring clarity in writing.