Complete Sentences 101

Review Name the subject and the verb in the sentence: In the movie The Avengers, superheroes save the world from aliens.

Review Name the subject and the verb in the sentence: Most people cry while reading The Fault in our Stars.

Review Every complete sentence needs a subject and a verb. Verb: the action word in a sentence Subject: who/what is doing the verb

But WAIT! Sometimes, language is more complicated than subject + verb = complete sentence. It is better to talk about complete sentences in terms of clauses.

Clause = Subject + Verb Clauses require a subject and a verb. There are two types of clauses: Independent clause Dependent clause (a.k.a. Fragment)

Independent Clause When a clause can stand alone as a sentence and is a complete thought, it is considered an independent clause. Ex. I ran three miles. An independent clause by itself is a complete sentence.

Independent Clause Every independent clause must have: A subject A verb A complete thought Does it make sense all by itself?

Dependent Clause (a.k.a. Fragment) Unlike independent clauses, dependent clauses (or fragments) cannot stand alone because they are missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Ex. Three miles every day.

Test Your Skills! Independent clause or fragment? Wednesdays after school. She found her notebook in her locker. When I went to Target. Finally bought me a car. I am excited for the football game.

Next Steps Now that we know all about independent clauses and dependent clauses (fragments), we can recognize and avoid run-ons and comma splices!

Run-Ons A run-on sentence is two or more independent clauses joined without punctuation or a conjunction (and, but, or, etc.).

Run-Ons: Example Incorrect: I went to the store yesterday to get some chips unfortunately the store was closed. Fix it with a period and capital letter! Correct: I went to the store yesterday to get some chips. Unfortunately, the store was closed.

Comma Splices A comma splice is a specific type of run-on in which two or more independent clauses are joined with only a comma. Ex. We played soccer outside, it was hot out. Fix with a period and capital letter: We played soccer outside. It was hot out.

One more thing! To add information to the beginning of a sentence, simply use a comma. Extra information can include how, when, or why something was done. With only one hand, he did four push ups. The next day, we drove up North. Because she was smart, she got a full ride scholarship.