1. Sentence Fragments and Run-ons

2. Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences Are writing errors that can make your writing difficult to understand. Ex. The students in Mrs. Teter’s class. –So what? What about them?? What happened? –Is that a complete sentence? –It looks like one because it has a capital letter and end punctuation. –Read the sentence out loud.

3. NO! It’s an incomplete thought. If you ask those questions, then it is not a complete sentence. Part of the sentence has been left out. It is written as if it is a complete sentence. –For example, a team needs a coach and players - if one is missing it is NOT complete. What should you do? –Find out what is missing (subject, predicate, or both) and add it. So, what is missing in the sentence fragment below? The students in Mrs. Teter’s class.

4. Every sentence needs a subject and a predicate The students in Mrs. Teter’s class –subject Are kind and smart. –predicate The students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart. –complete sentence

5. Run-ons The students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart, they help each other and like to participate. What is wrong with this sentence?

6. Two or more sentences have been written as though they were a single sentence. A run-on sentence doesn’t show where one idea ends and another begins. If there is a comma where the sentence should end it’s called a comma splice. What should you do? –Find the best way to separate the ideas or to show the proper relationship between them.

7. Add an end mark and start a new sentence. The students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart. They help each other and like to participate. Add a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, as, so, yet.) The students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart, for they help each other and like to participate. Change the comma to a semicolon. The students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart; they help each other and like to participate. Change one of the independent clauses to a dependent clause. Because they help each other and like to participate, the students in Mrs. Teter’s class are kind and smart.

8. Fragments and run-on sentences can make your writing confusing and and difficult to read. If you fix these problems, your writing will read more clearly.

9. Try these! The Maya live in Mexico. Their traditional homes. Have been much the same for centuries. Some were made of stucco or stone. Today Mayan houses have electricity and telephones other things haven’t changed. Modern building materials. The Maya now use such materials as cinder blocks and cement for walls.

10. Try these! S=complete sentence SF =sentence fragment RO =run-on The Maya live in Mexico. S Their traditional homes. SF Have been much the same for centuries. SF Some were made of stucco or stone. S Today Mayan houses have electricity and telephones other things haven’t changed. RO Modern building materials. SF The Maya now use such materials as cinder blocks and cement for walls. S