Run-on sentences

[potioncat]

 "Carol"  wrote:
>
> I'm curious as to how other posters define the term "run-on sentence" since I've seen several posters (Potioncat, for one, IIRC) describe their sentences as run-ons when, in fact, they're perfectly legitimate sentences. 

<snip> 
 A true run-on sentence (according to all my composition textbooks) merely combines two sentences that ought to be separated by a period or semicolon this last "sentence" is an example.



Potioncat:
Oh frabrous day! I can write longer sentences! Which is good since I'm not allowed to write 6 posts.

"two sentences that ought to be separated..." Sounds like a messy divorce. I guess I thought the definition was a long sentence that ought not be put together in the first place. 

If I had written Carol's first sentence (a lovely one, by the way) I would have felt compelled to chop it up, so it would look like this:


<< I'm curious as to how other posters define the term "run-on sentence". I've seen several posters (Potioncat, for one, IIRC) describe their sentences as run-ons. When, in fact, they're perfectly legitimate sentences.>>

The whole thing looks and reads better the way Carol wrote it, but I've performed similar surgery to my own writing before posting.

As for Carol's run-on sentence, I would put a period (or full stop) after the word semicolon, which would then make the next sentence untrue.

I know exactly where my avoidance of long sentences came from. It came from English 101 or similar college English classes. I'm sure we were taught that short was good and long was bad. It was decades ago, and I'm not sure if that was what was taught, or if that is what I learned. 

So, Carol, for the purpose of this thread, feel free to comment on any sentences in this post.