A sentence fragment is a group of words punctuated like a sentence but not expressing a complete thought. It cannot stand by itself as a sentence. Sentence Fragments: 1. Whenever you are ready 2. On my way to the museum Corrections: 1. Whenever you are ready, we can leave for the game. 2. On my way to the museum I am going to stop at Hardees. WHAT IS A FRAGMENT?

A group of words must meet three criteria to form a complete sentence. If it does not meet all three, it is a fragment. Revise a fragment by combining it with a nearby sentence or by rewriting it as a complete sentence. 1.A sentence must have a subject. 2.A sentence must have a verb. 3.Unless it is a question, a sentence must have at least one clause that does not begin with a subordinating word. Following are some common subordinating words: EDITING FOR SENTENCE FRAGMENTS -although -as -because -before -how -if -since -that -though -unless -when -where -whether -who -why

1.Which of the following is a sentence fragment? A) Many people don’t like football, because they don’t understand the rules. B) After many hours of studying, the students passed the test with flying colors. C) On my way to the museum. D) We will leave for the concert whenever you are ready. 2. Which of the following is a complete sentence? A) A lake in northern Scotland. B) Hundreds of people have reported seeing a large animal in Loch Ness. C) Like a dinosaur. D) Despite the doubts about Nessie’s very existence. PRACTICE

An run-on is two or more complete sentences written without proper punctuation between them. Example: 1. It looks hard it’s really easy. 2. The movie was free those people enjoyed it. WHAT IS A RUN-ON SENTENCE?

You can correct a run-on in three ways: 1.with a semicolon-The dog kept trying to sneak out; however, he was not successful. 2.with a comma and a conjunction-It looks hard, but it’s really easy. 3.with a period-I never really enjoyed baseball. Football is my favorite sport. HOW CAN YOU CORRECT A RUN-ON?

Which of the following is not a run-on? A)The winds picked up dramatically we took cover in the shelter. B)On Tuesdays Frank has band practice he plays the tuba. C)I baked the pie this morning I have not cut it yet. D)Studying plants is fascinating. There are so many different kinds. PRACTICE