Exploring Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences
This page delves deeper into the concepts of sentence fragments and run-on sentences, providing more detailed explanations and examples.
Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack either a subject or a full predicate. The page notes some exceptions, such as imperative sentences, which are commands or polite requests where the subject is implied.
Example: "Stop!" and "Please help your father." are valid imperative sentences, not fragments.
The document provides several examples of sentence fragments to help students identify these errors in their own writing:
Example: "I ran to the." and "Sam running into town." are sentence fragments.
It's emphasized that even long sentences can be fragments if they lack a complete thought.
Example: "After her father helped her so much last week and she improved with each passing game." is a long sentence fragment.
Run-on sentences are defined as two or more complete thoughts joined together without correct punctuation. The page introduces the concept of comma splices, a common type of run-on sentence where two independent clauses are incorrectly separated by just a comma.
Definition: A comma splice occurs when two complete thoughts are separated by a comma instead of using proper punctuation or conjunctions.
The document provides examples of run-on sentences and comma splices, along with their corrected versions:
Example: "I like hotdog, Becky likes hamburgers." (Incorrect)
Correction: "I like hot dogs and Becky likes hamburgers."
Example: "It is nearly past five, we cannot reach town before dark." (Incorrect)
Correction: "It is nearly past five; we cannot reach town before dark."
Highlight: Understanding how to identify and correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences is crucial for improving writing clarity and coherence.