1. Standard Usage and Mechanics

2.  Writing correct sentences  Using the correct verbs  Using adjectives and adverbs correctly  Choosing correct pronouns  Having correct punctuation and capitalization

3.  Time won’t permit you to analyze each sentence you write in your essays. But if you get into the habit of examining sentences in your practice essays and in other school work, you will soon purge from your writing the 3 most common sentence errors: ◦ Fragments: incomplete sentences ◦ Run-ons: two or more improperly joined sentences ◦ Comma splices: two complete sentences separated by a comma

4.  Sentence fragments often look remarkably like complete sentences. EX: The bike that Martha often borrowed.  Is it a complete thought?  Does it begin with a capital?  Does it end with a period?  Does it have a subject and a verb?

5.  What makes it a fragment is that Martha isn’t the subject. Rather, the bike is the subject, and the trouble is that bike and borrowed don’t fit together.  A bike is inanimate and can’t borrow.  Clearly, they mean Martha, but she cannot be the subject because she is part of the subordinate clause– therefore, bike needs a verb of its own.

6.  EX: The bike that Martha often borrowed was stolen.  The sentence is now complete.

7.  Uncover it’s “bare bones”  That is, eliminate all its dependant clauses and phrases.  If what remains is a subject and its verb, it’s a complete sentence.  If not, its probably a fragment.

8.  This can be difficult in long sentences, but as long as you remember that the grammatical subject can never be: ◦ In a prepositional phrase ◦ In a dependant clause ◦ In a phrase that interrupts the flow of a sentence

9. 3 steps

10.  Cross out all prepositional phrases, such as up the wall, around the corner, to the beach, over the counter.  If you eliminate the prepositional phrases only the subject and verb will remain. Complete sentence: In the middle of the night, Priscilla slept. Bare bones: Priscilla slept

11. Complete sentence: One of Frieda’s friends is in need of help. Bare bones:

12.  Bare bones: One is.

13.  Delete all dependant clauses– those parts of sentences which contain a noun and a verb, but which don’t qualify as complete sentences because they begin with words and phrases like although, as, as though, because, before, even though, if, in spite of, regardless of, since, so that, unless, whenever, whether, and while.  Other dependant clauses are statements that start with when, where, who, and what.

14. Complete sentence: Because she missed the bus, Marnie wept. Bare Bones: Marnie wept

15. Complete sentence: While Willie waited for the bus, he studied vocabulary. Bare bones:

16. Complete sentence: While Willie waited for the bus, he studied vocabulary. Bare bones: He studied.

17.  Delete interrupters– those parts of sentences that impede the smooth flow of the main idea. Interrupters may be just one word (however, nevertheless) or dozens. They’re often set off by commas.

18. Complete Sentence: Ellen, regardless of the look on her face, rejoiced. Bare bones: Ellen rejoiced.

19.  Complete sentence: The boat, a sleek white catamaran, sank.  Bare bones:

20. Complete sentence: The boat, a sleek white catamaran, sank. Bare bones: Boat sank.

21.  Of sentence fragments that can occur when you use the –ing form of a verb. The problem is that it won’t work with a sentence’s main verb, at least not without a helping verb. Fragment: Julie, at the box office, selling movie tickets to the 7:00 show. Correct: Julie, at the box office, has been selling movie tickets to the 7:00 show.

22.  A run-on sentence consists of two independent clauses with nothing but a blank space between them: Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck mine has never brought me any.

23.  Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck mine has never brought me any.  Fill the gap between luck and mine by inserting the coordinating junction but.  Birthstones are supposed to bring good luck, but mine has never brought me any.

24.  Writing two separate sentences OR  Using a semicolon

25.  In a comma splice, a comma instead of a period or semi-colon is used to join, or splice, two independent sentences. BAD: Othello was fooled by his disloyal friend, he should have known better. GOOD: Othello was fooled by his disloyal friend. He should have known better. GOOD: Othello was fooled by his disloyal friend; he should have known better.