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I'm writing an academic paper with my collaborators, and we came across a sentence with this structure:

Our work relates objects A and B, and offers a new perspective to think about concept C.

Is this a run-on sentence? It feels fine to me; my collaborators think there should be an inclusion of a subject in the second half, namely:

Our work relates objects A and B, and it offers a new perspective to think about concept C.

Edwin Ashworth
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nervxxx
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  • That's a comma for clarity or readability, kind of, which is the exception to comma "rules" in general. That's not a run-on this is a run-on. When it's easier to add the it, add it. – HippoSawrUs Jan 05 '24 at 05:44
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    A run-on sentence is one without a conjunction so no this isn't run-on. I suggest you edit the question to avoid the incorrect use of terminology, and just ask if it should have a comma or whatever you actually want to know. – Stuart F Jan 05 '24 at 09:40
  • Two points: "Our work relates [to] objects A and B, and" and has the word and twice close to each other. So the comma helps. – Yosef Baskin Jan 05 '24 at 14:40
  • And "new perspective to think about concept C" uses a kinda bland verb. Maybe you mean view or approach? – Yosef Baskin Jan 05 '24 at 14:42
  • @YosefBaskin it's just an example sentence. Also your first point changes the meaning of the sentence. My sentence's meaning is that "our work bridges the two objects: A and B"; yours is "our work connects to (A and B)". Quite different. – nervxxx Jan 05 '24 at 15:23
  • '[I]t offers a new perspective to think about concept C.' is what I'm slightly concerned about. I'd include a 'from which'. // 'Our work involves computer programming and is targeted at business development and marketing.' is merely using a standard example of conjunction reduction, here involving subject deletion leading to a compound predicate. In your example, the list [A and B] makes the comma before the next 'and' advisable. // See Is 'We sang and danced' a compound sentence?. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 06 '24 at 13:09
  • What does it mean to come across a sentence? You wrote it or someone did. For your intended meaning, you'd need "Relates objects A and B to each other" or "Interrelates objects A and B." "Bridges" is best. – Yosef Baskin Jan 07 '24 at 16:54

1 Answers1

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Sounds perfectly fine. The subject is still the subject not so far into the end. If you have seen a good example of a run-on sentence you would know what it is like, since it could use more commas or at least the occasional semicolon, thank you very much, to break up the line before your eyes get tired of reading and start to hurt and make you take off your glasses and clean them with your shirttail which actually just scratches them up because you really need to use some fluid if you're going to rub them like that, the glasses, not your eyes, and then you've forgotten what the sentence is about, which would be a drag if it was interesting to begin with.

HippoSawrUs
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Elliot
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