Sentence Mechanic Sentences from Houghton Mifflin Text

A sentence tells a complete thought. What if you write a group of words that does not tell a complete thought? Can you fix it? Example: This parakeet comes from Australia. And is called a budgie.

Hmm…Do you see two complete thoughts? This parakeet comes from Australia. And is called a budgie. NO! The second “sentence” is not a complete thought! Let’s see if we can fix it! This parakeet comes from Australia and is called a budgie.

Sometimes you can fix a sentence that is not complete by adding it to another one. Another example: A macaw can learn to talk. But usually just screeches. Which sentence is incomplete? Let’s fix it. A macaw can learn to talk but usually just screeches.

Try to fix these yourself! Years ago budgies lived only in the wild. But later became pets too. Tame budgies can learn to say words. Even sentences. Budgies use their sharp beaks. Crack seeds and to climb branches.

Every complete sentence tells who or what, and it also tells what happens. Look at these sentences. The macaw is a beautiful bird in the parrot family. Has the brightest colors of all the parrots. Likes to eat fruit. Which are not complete sentences? What are they missing? Let’s fix them: The macaw is a beautiful bird in the parrot family. It has the brightest colors of all the parrots. The macaw likes to eat fruit.

Read the first draft of this report. Fix each incomplete sentence. The macaw is a large parrot. Has a big beak. That strong beak is needed. To crack hard nuts for food. Only one other kind of parrot has such a large beak. Is called the cockatoo. Be careful when you go near macaws! They sometimes bite other animals. People too. Can be tamed. Need many things to chew on so they won’t bite their owners. They make very nice pets.