GRAMMAR #1 FRAGMENTS and RUN-ONS

FRAGMENTS A fragment is an incomplete thought; it may be missing a subject or a verb and so does not count as a full sentence. Fragment: I checked my phone seven times already today. Starting as soon as I woke up. Fragment: When the weekend arrives, I have so much to do. Like doing laundry, cleaning my room, and finishing my science project.

How do you fix a fragment? OPTIONS Check to see if the clause is missing a subject; if so, add one. Check to see if the clause is missing a verb; if so, add one. Can you just combine the fragment with an existing sentence? That may be as simple as adding a comma, or it may require you to re-write the pair of clauses for a fluent, concise, full sentence.

Fixing a Fragment Fragment: I checked my phone seven times already today. Starting as soon as I woke up. As soon as I woke up this morning, I checked my phone, which I’ve now done seven times. Fragment: When the weekend arrives, I have so much to do. Like doing laundry, cleaning my room, and finishing my science project. I have so much to do this weekend, like laundry, cleaning, and studying. Doing laundry, cleaning my room, and finishing my science project are the many things I have to do this weekend.

Sentences? Fragments? DIRECTIONS: Number your scrap paper from 1-4. Look at each pairing of clauses. Is the pairing correct in providing full sentences, or is there a fragment? Write “C” or “F” next to each number. Seattle is a wonderful place to live. Having mountains, ocean, and forests all within easy driving distance. Why do I think the author’s position is problematic? He makes generalizations that warrant further support. Most people would agree that citizens deserve quality health care. But every treatment has its price. Summer will be here soon. Not before a lot of work and stress, though.

PRACTICE DIRECTIONS: Rewrite the two pairings that we identified as containing a fragment. Make sure you combine/condense into a single, coherent, concise sentence. Seattle is a wonderful place to live. Having mountains, ocean, and forests all within easy driving distance. 4. Summer will be here soon. Not before a lot of work and stress, though.

Seattle is a wonderful place to live Seattle is a wonderful place to live. Having mountains, ocean, and forests all within easy driving distance. With mountains, ocean and forests all within easy driving distance, Seattle is a wonderful place to live. A wonderful place to live, Seattle offers mountains, ocean, and forests within easy driving distance. Because mountains, ocean, and forests are all within easy driving distance, Seattle is a wonderful place to live. NOTE: Just adding a comma after “live” won’t cut it; that doesn’t create a fluent sentence.

Summer will be here soon, but not before a lot of work and stress. Summer will be here soon. Not before a lot of work and stress, though. Summer will be here soon, but not before a lot of work and stress. Although there is still a lot of work and stress to come, summer will be here soon. NOTE: Just adding a comma after “soon” won’t cut it; that doesn’t create a fluent sentence.

INCORRECT: Global warming. That is what the scientists and journalists are worried about this year. SAMPLE QUESTION: Which of the following best combines the two clauses to create a full sentence? Scientists and journalists’ worries: global warming. Global warming, which scientists and journalists are worried about this year. Global warming worries scientists and journalists this year. Global warming, with journalists and scientists voicing their worries.

Run-Ons Run-ons jam two or more full sentences together into one. Just a comma between two full sentences doesn’t fix the error. R/O=Current insurance practices are unfair they discriminate against the people who need coverage the most. R/O=The book review’s main critiques are harsh, they fail to recognize the stylistic merit of the writing.

How do you fix a run-on? Separate the two sentences with a period. Use a semi-colon (if the sentences are related in content). Add a comma + a coordinating conjunction after the first sentence. Note: Coordinating conjunctions include and, but, for, or, yet, nor, so

Fixing a Run-On R/O=Current insurance practices are unfair they discriminate against the people who need coverage the most. Current insurance practices are unfair; they discriminate against people who need coverage the most. Because they discriminate against the people who need coverage the most, current insurance practices are unfair. Current insurance practices are unfair, for they discriminate against the people who need coverage the most. R/O=The book review’s main critiques are harsh, they fail to recognize the stylistic merit of the writing. The book review’s main critiques are harsh; they fail to recognize the stylistic merit of the writing. The book review’s main critiques are harsh, for they fail to recognize the stylistic merit of the writing.

Sentence? Run-On? DIRECTIONS: Number your scrap paper from 1-4. Look at each sentence. Is it correct, or is it a run-on? Write “C” or “R/O” next to each number. A two-thirds vote was needed to pass the bill it failed by 4 votes. The senator was invited to speak at the graduation ceremony next month. Because of her busy schedule, however, she had to decline. Most of the buildings in the town are historical landmarks, they were built prior to 1800. Hoping for a large settlement from the lawsuit, the plaintiff began to spend excessively, she ended up with debt when the lawsuit was dismissed.

PRACTICE DIRECTIONS: Re-write the sentences that we just identified as run-ons. Make sure that one re-write uses a semi-colon and one uses a coordinating conjunction. The last one is your choice. A two-thirds vote was needed to pass the bill it failed by 4 votes. 3. Most of the buildings in the town are historical landmarks, they were built prior to 1800. 4. Hoping for a large settlement from the lawsuit, the plaintiff began to spend excessively, she ended up with debt when the lawsuit was dismissed.

Fragment AND Run-on Practice Pick up a copy of The New SAT Writing Workbook from the side counter. Open to page 85. Complete writing drill 2 by re-writing the sentences to fix fragments and/or run-ons as needed.

Check sample answers on page 107.