Your students already know about clausal boundaries. But they don’t know that they know that.

It is true that… Sentence Tester 1: (Declarative) Sentence Completeness Don’t they? Sentence Tester 2: Tag Question Frogs catch flies. Aren’t they? With their sticky tongues. Frogs are amphibeans. Didn’t it? This frog started life in the water as a tadpole. Don’t I? Have I? I like frogs. I have never, to my knowledge, eaten a fly.

(Declarative) Sentence Completeness Sentence Tester 3: Yes/No Question Transformation Frogs catch flies. Do frogs catch flies? Are frogs amphibeans? Did this frog start life as a tadpole? Is that an interesting fact? Do I like frogs? Have I ever, to my knowledge, eaten a fly? With their sticky tongues. Frogs are amphibeans. This frog started life in the water as a tadpole. That’s an interesting fact. I like frogs. I have never, to my knowledge, eaten a fly.

These mental prompts bring unconscious knowledge of clausal boundaries to the surface, so that we may create correctly punctuated complete sentences. But first: What’s wrong with “complete thought” as a definition of a sentence? What’s wrong with “subject + predicate” as a definition of a sentence?

First let’s work on fragments: Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point It is true that… Children like Girl Scout cookies. It is true that… Like Thin Mints, Tagalogs, Do-Si-Dos, and, most of all, those ones with the hole in the middle, coconut, and chocolate stripes.

Which fragment in the pair would your students be more likely to write? a. Tyler ended up cleaning up his room. Which he doesn’t like. b. Tyler ended up cleaning up his room which he. Doesn’t like. 2. a. The soldiers marched straight ahead. Into an ambush. b. The soldiers marched straight ahead into. An ambush. 3. a. Arthur missed an easy surprise quiz. Because he skipped class. b. Arthur missed an easy surprise quiz because. He skipped class. 4. a. It soon became very obvious. That the train wasn’t going to Chicago. b. It soon became very obvious that the train. Wasn’t going to Chicago.

Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices Example 1: Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000. a. Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000, isn’t he? b. Is your next-door neighbor going to sell his car for $10,000?

Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point Example 2: Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped open the cellophane wrapper on the package. Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped open the cellophane wrapper on the package, didn’t she? b. Did Claudia, who couldn’t wait, rip open the cellophane wrapper on the package?

Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point Part One: Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices Example 3: For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles every day. For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles every day, haven’t they? b. For the past six months, have Lily and Sam run five miles every day?

Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point Part One: Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices Example 4: Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each. a. Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each, won’t they? b. Will Ed and his cousin buy two tickets each?

How many “sentences” do you really have? Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000 he should sell it for $8,000. Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped the cellophane wrapper off the package the icing of the cake came off with it. For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles every day they really want to win the city championship badly. Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each Hank will buy six. You weren’t in class for a whole month it isn’t fair.

Common Hitching Devices Coordinating Conjunctions Subordinating Conjunctions As, although, after While, when Until Because, before If AAAWWUBBI Can hitch up to an independent clause, creating a subordinate (dependent) clause, forming complex sentence. Can appear after main clause (no comma) or before main clause (needs a comma) Relative Pronouns Which Who That Can attach to an independent clause to create a complex sentence. Warning: Many sentence fragments begin with these words. Usually, you must hitch these words and the clauses that they introduce to your previous sentence. Note: No comma is to be used with that. Conjunctive Adverbs However Moreover Therefore Furthermore Can move within own clause; Requires commas on both sides Warning: If you wish to use these to join clauses, you must use a semicolon. And But So Or/nor Can join two independent clauses to make a compound sentence. Warning: You must use a comma with these when they join independent clauses. You may use a semicolon instead of a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses.