The Basic Sentence A complete sentence has the following characteristics: It contains both a subject and a verb. It expresses a complete thought – a freestanding, self- contained idea. A sentence can be mispunctuated in two ways; as a fragment or as a run-on.

BASIC SENTENCES Fragments

In a fragment, something less than a complete sentence has been punctuated as though it were one: Celeste found a cat. Which she promptly took home. The easiest way to correct fragments is to attach them to the preceding sentence: Celeste found a cat, which she promptly took home.

Identifying Fragments I Realize Tip: You can put I realize in front of most complete sentences and make a new grammatical sentence. However, when you put I realize in front of a fragment, the result will not make sense. Blocking my driveway was a car. A huge SUV. I realize a huge SUV. I was really upset. Because I knew I would be late for work. I realize because I knew I would be late for work. I beeped my horn a couple of times. Letting the driver know I had to get out. I realize letting the driver know I had to get out.

Correcting Fragments I have to commute on the beltway. The Highway from Hell. I realize the Highway from Hell. I have to commute on the beltway, the Highway from Hell. -OR- I have to commute on the beltway. It is called the Highway from Hell. Yesterday’s traffic was worse than usual. Because there was an accident. Today, I actually left home on schedule. Showing that I can be there on time if I try.

Sentence Practice 1 1.Growers loved the Red Delicious apple variety. Because it stayed ripe for a long time. 2.Growers kept changing the Red Delicious variety over the years. Making the apples redder and even more long lasting. 3.Unfortunately, there was a negative side effect to their changes. Taste. 4.I didn’t really like the old Red Delicious apples. I though their skins were bitter. 5.A lot of people must have agreed. Because the sales of Red Delicious slowed down.

Sentence Practice 2 1.The public loves Fuji apples. Because they are sweet and crisp. 2.Apple growers love them. Since they keep up for six months. 3.Apple researchers in Japan developed the Fuji apple. Using our old friend the Red Delicious. 4.The Fuji apple is a cross between two American apples. The Red Delicious and the Virginia Ralls Genet. 5.The researchers who developed the apple named it. Calling it “Fuji” after the name of their research station.

Editing Practice 1 Key West is a great place to visit. For a lot of reasons. First of all, the physical setting is magnificent. Blue sky and beautiful ocean views. Being on an island makes you much more aware of the water and the sky. Unlike the often cloudless skies on the Pacific coast, the skies of the keys often have small puffy clouds. Giving a sense of space and depth to the sky. The color of the water is always changing. Because the coral reefs reflect the continually changing play of sun and cloud. The fact that the ocean around Key West is so shallow and so varied gives the water vibrant colors. With dozens of shades of green and blue everywhere you look. The beaches in California are quite drab by comparison. Because they are mostly made of uniform, gray sandy bottoms. (5)

Editing Practice 2 It is interesting to compare Key West with a similar ocean-side destination in California. Santa Barbara, for instance. Besides being beach destinations, they share another important feature. A lengthy Spanish heritage. Key West today doesn’t feel Spanish at all. Even though it (and the rest of Florida) was part of the Spanish empire for nearly three hundred years. There was never any permanent Spanish settlement there. Because there was no source of fresh water on the island. Key West was a temporary home for fishermen and pirates. A source of much humor today. Santa Barbara, on the other hand, is overflowing with its Spanish heritage. Especially in its architecture. Santa Barbara today looks classically Spanish with its white buildings and red tile roofs. (6)

Editing Practice 3 There is one huge difference between Key West and Santa Barbara. The climate. Key West is in the Caribbean. A shallow, warm tropical sea. As a result, Key West is uniformly warm. And excessively humid. The sun and humidity generate a lot of clouds. Resulting in almost daily rain showers. Lots of sun and rain support luxurious tropical vegetation. And plenty of bugs. Santa Barbara is almost the exact opposite. Southern California is essentially a desert. Resulting in distinctly un-lush, drought tolerant vegetation. Even though the beaches in Santa Barbara are beautiful, very few people actually go in the water. Because it is bone-numbingly cold. On the other hand, there are very few bugs. (6)

Apply What You Know On a loose-leaf sheet of paper, write two paragraphs comparing the advantages and disadvantages of two places you have been on vacation. Use the I Realize Tip to make sure that there are no fragments. If they exist, attach each fragment to the previous sentence or rewrite the fragment to make it a complete sentence.