SENTENCE ERRORS UWF WRITING LAB GRAMMAR SKILLS SERIES #3 FROM REAL GOOD GRAMMAR, TOO BY MAMIE WEBB HIXON POWERPOINT CREATED BY OLIVIA HAWKINS LAST UPDATED SPRING 2017

THREE TYPES OF SENTENCE ERRORS Fragments Comma splices Run-on sentences

FRAGMENT A GROUP OF WORDS PRETENDING TO BE A SENTENCE

WHAT IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE, ANYWAY? You need three things to create a complete sentence: Subject Verb Complete Thought

FRAGMENT DETECTION FLOW CHART START HERE FRAGMENT DETECTION FLOW CHART Run these word groups through the chart to find out if they are fragments. Does it have a subject? FRAGMENT NO My father having the blandest sense of humor in the world. Some students put forth a lot of effort. While others procrastinate and never excel in anything academic. Soccer, which is the number one sport in the world. The steaks were all right, but the vegetables were overdone. It is obsolete. YES FRAGMENT Does it have a verb? NO YES Does it make a complete thought? FRAGMENT NO YES CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE A COMPLETE SENTENCE!

FRAGMENT TEST RESULTS POSITIVE FRAGMENT TEST NEGATIVE FRAGMENT TEST My father having the blandest sense of humor in the world. It is obsolete. The steaks were all right, but the vegetables were overdone. Soccer, which is the number one sport in the world. Some students put forth a lot of effort. While others procrastinate and never excel in anything academic.

COMMA SPLICE THE USE OF ONLY A COMMA TO SEPARATE TWO SENTENCES

FOUR WAYS TO REVISE A COMMA SPLICE Tevon won the award, he had the highest score.

FOUR WAYS TO REVISE A COMMA SPLICE Tevon won the award, he had the highest score. OPTION 1 Replace the comma with a period. The simplest solution, but perhaps not the most elegant. Tevon won the award. He had the highest score.

FOUR WAYS TO REVISE A COMMA SPLICE Tevon won the award, he had the highest score. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 Replace the comma with a period. Replace the comma with a semicolon. Semicolon = fancy period that shows connection Tevon won the award. He had the highest score. Tevon won the award; he had the highest score.

FOUR WAYS TO REVISE A COMMA SPLICE Tevon won the award, he had the highest score. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3 FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions) For And Nor But Or Yet So Replace the comma with a period. Replace the comma with a semicolon. Add one of the FANBOYS to help the comma. Tevon won the award. He had the highest score. Tevon won the award; he had the highest score. Tevon won the award, for he had the highest score.

FOUR WAYS TO REVISE A COMMA SPLICE Tevon won the award, he had the highest score. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 Subordinating conjunctions include because, as if, and even though. OPTION 3 OPTION 4 Separate the sentences with a subordinating conjunction. Replace the comma with a period. Replace the comma with a semicolon. Add one of the FANBOYS to help the comma. Tevon won the award because he had the highest score. Tevon won the award. He had the highest score. Tevon won the award; he had the highest score. Tevon won the award, for he had the highest score.

RUN-ON SENTENCES OR FUSED SENTENCES TWO COMPLETE SENTENCES WHICH ARE NOT SEPARATED BY ANY PUNCTUATION.

IS IT A RUN-ON? Walk with your feet dance with your heart. The scandal broke after the teacher was charged with sexual harassment so the administration and the school board issued a statement to the media to dispel any rumors.

The conjunction so actually joins the two sentences. IS IT A RUN-ON? Walk with your feet dance with your heart. The scandal broke after the teacher was charged with sexual harassment so the administration and the school board issued a statement to the media to dispel any rumors. RUN-ON NOT A RUN-ON This sentence is actually a compound sentence in which the comma is omitted before the coordinating conjunction so. The conjunction so actually joins the two sentences.

The conjunction so actually joins the two sentences. A run-on sentence is not a sentence that goes on and on or a sentence that needs punctuation; a run-on sentence is two sentences not separated by a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction with a comma. IS IT A RUN-ON? Walk with your feet dance with your heart. The scandal broke after the teacher was charged with sexual harassment, so the administration and the school board issued a statement to the media to dispel any rumors. RUN-ON NOT A RUN-ON This sentence is actually a compound sentence in which the comma omitted before the coordinating conjunction so. The conjunction so actually joins the two sentences.

FOUR WAYS TO FIX A RUN-ON It was a beautiful day there was not a cloud in the sky. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3 OPTION 4 Hint: they’re really familiar.

FOUR WAYS TO FIX A RUN-ON It was a beautiful day there was not a cloud in the sky. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3 OPTION 4 Separate the sentences with a period. Connect the sentences with a semicolon. Use one of the FANBOYS with a comma. Connect the sentences with a subordinating conjunction. It was a beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day; there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day since there was not a cloud in the sky.

FOUR WAYS TO FIX A RUN-ON Option 4.5: semicolon or period + conjunctive adverb You can think of a conjunctive adverb as a word that transitions between and connects two ideas. It was a beautiful day there was not a cloud in the sky. OPTION 1 OPTION 2 OPTION 3 OPTION 4 Separate the sentences with a period. Connect the sentences with a semicolon. Use one of the FANBOYS with a comma. Connect the sentences with a subordinating conjunction. Just because there’s a comma, the sentence is not automatically a comma splice! Run-on sentence with a conjunctive adverb: there are several dozen electric household appliances however, the average home has less than a quarter of these. It was a beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day; there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day, and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful day since there was not a cloud in the sky.

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