Comments | fandom_grammar: Answer: Are Run-on Sentences Allowed in Dialog?

chomiji in fandom_grammar

Answer: Are Run-on Sentences Allowed in Dialog?

Feb 16, 2015 10:33

badtzphoto was wondering whether run-on sentences are allowed in dialogue. To answer this, we'll first take a closer look at the nature of run-on sentences and then explore what happens when one is used in dialog.
( With help from the cast of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee … )

dialogue:punctuation, dialogue:speaking naturally, punctuation:dialogue, !answer, author:chomiji

Comments 4

badtzphoto February 16 2015, 20:26:29 UTC

Oh, cool. Thanks for answering.

thistle_chaser February 17 2015, 16:14:52 UTC

This was a good one, thanks! I always figured grammar rules could be looser in dialogue (because that would make it more "real"), but I hadn't thought about how that would change the readability of it.

kalabetakyanda February 17 2015, 18:41:22 UTC

Oh, yeah. You... you understand writing, you. :)
I prefer no run-ons. Rarely does anything get more real; just harder to read.

t_verano February 21 2015, 12:58:31 UTC

I understand the 'readability' point and know that it has a lot of merit (probably the only merit that really matters). I also have to confess that the complete avoidance of (well-written, paradoxical though that seems) run-on sentences generally tones down the 'babbling' effect of the dialog for me to the point where the speaker no longer seems to be babbling at all, as far as the rhythm and effect of his/her speech goes ( ... )