We've reviewed literally thousands of client writing exercises in our business writing courses. The most common grammar error we see in client writing across all industries and positions is incorrect sentence structure.
In this blog post, we will explore the key principles of sentence structure that can elevate your business documents, from emails and reports to proposals and presentations. By mastering these essentials, you'll be able to present your thoughts more clearly and make a more substantial impact in your professional communications.
In the fast-paced world of business, clear and effective communication is crucial. Proper sentence structure enhances readability and ensures that your ideas are conveyed with precision and professionalism.
Fused sentences, run-on sentences, and comma splice errors are rampant in business writing!
These are grammatical errors that affect the professionalism of your documents even when they don’t affect the meaning. You want your writing to come across as clear and competent, so fixing your comma splices and fused sentences is important.
A fused sentence — a comma splice error or run-on sentence — incorrectly merges two independent clauses into one sentence by connecting the clauses incorrectly with a comma. They refer to compound sentences that are not punctuated correctly.
This is the most common mistake we see in business writing.
Incorrect example:
I’m sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Let’s reschedule our meeting. I’m open anytime this Thursday, if there is a particular time that will work best for you, let me know.
Should I notify the operations team we need to reschedule, as well?
Correct example:I’m sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Let’s reschedule our meeting. I’m open anytime this Thursday. If there is a particular time that will work best for you let me know. (There should be a full stop—a period—after the word “Thursday,” indicating two separate sentences.)
Should I notify the operations team we need to reschedule, as well?
Explanation:
Do not merge two independent clauses together with only a comma (this is called a comma splice). Each thought, “I’m open any time Thursday.” and “If there is a particular time … ” should be its own sentence.
Other typical examples of incorrectly fused sentences/comma splices are:
The run-on sentences above are very common examples. The two clauses are related, so it may seem like they can be connected with a comma. But, each creates a comma splice and fused sentence. These run-on sentences make your writing look sloppy and take away from the authority and competence of your message.
Let's back up a step or two (we have to go back to grammar class now) and look at the difference between Independent and Dependent Clauses. The difference between these two is the foundational reason that run-on sentences and sentence fragments are wrong.
First of all, what is a clause? A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. There are two main types of clauses: Independent and Dependent.
An Independent Clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Ex. John is a highly intelligent businessman.
Ex. Suzette was recognized for her contributions.
A Dependent Clause can't stand alone, and therefore it must be connected to an Independent Clause. A Dependent Clause usually happens when you add a dependent marker word. These words are often conjunctions or adverbs, and leave us with a question.
Ex. Because John is a highly intelligent businessman,
Ex. When Suzette was recognized for her contributions.
You should notice that by adding the dependent marker word to these clauses, they become incomplete sentence fragments, and you are essentially left hanging. What happened when Suzette was recognized? What happened because John was a highly intelligent businessman?
To fix this situation, you need to connect those Dependent Clauses to Independent Clauses.
Ex. Because John is a highly intelligent businessman, his company is very profitable.
Ex. When Suzette was recognized for her contributions, she was given a promotion and a corner office.
Connecting a dependent clause to an independent clause helps us to avoid sentence fragments. But what about the more common run-on sentences?
Run-on sentences occur when we connect two independent clauses without using proper punctuation.
Ex. Huang is the most diligent employee, I would like him on my team.
There are many ways to fix the sentence above:
Simple clear language is the key to good business writing, so it is typically best to simply split the run-on into two complete sentences, as shown in number 2.
Huang is the most diligent employee. I would like him on my team.
Run-on sentences and sentence fragments are easy mistakes to make and are just as easy to fix.
Because business writing relies on simple, straightforward communication, it’s best to write one-clause sentences whenever possible. However, there are times when a compound sentence (a sentence with more than one clause) communicates your information most clearly, and sometimes, these add necessary variety to your writing.
Punctuate compound sentences comprised of independent clauses correctly by following either of these two rules:
While rule #2 above, connecting independent clauses with a semi-colon, is grammatically correct, it will create a longer and more complex sentence. The goal of business writing is clear, easy-to-understand writing.
You could avoid using semi-colons in your writing across your entire career, and it would be fine!
Semi-colons add complexity to a sentence. They're not wrong to use, but they're commonly used incorrectly, and they add visual complexity. Why bother with them when there is another strategy?
Instead of using a semi-colon and merging the independent clauses to prevent a fused sentence, simply split the independent clauses into two separate sentences. Don't fuse the sentences.
As a reminder, comma splice errors and fused sentences (also called run-on sentences) don’t affect the meaning of what you are writing, but they certainly affect the professionalism and competency of your message. Here are two examples I have received in the past year, from very different fields and positions:
Can you find the comma splice in each and fix it? (Hint: find the comma in each example and change it to a period/full-stop.) A good spell and grammar check program, like Grammarly or Microsoft Editor, will also pick these up.
If not, connect it to another clause that answers the unanswered question.
If it does, ensure it isn't connected to another complete thought with a comma (use a period or a semi-colon instead).
Our Proofreading & Grammar business writing course will also provide you with guidance and individualized feedback to help you strengthen your writing and fix sentence structure mistakes like comma splices and fused sentences.