1. Chapter 16 – Sentence Problems

2. Learning Outcomes
By the time you finish reading and studying this chapter, you should be able to:
LO1 Common Fragments.
LO2 Tricky Fragments.
LO3 Comma Splices.
LO4 Run-On Sentences.
LO5 Rambling Sentences.
LO6 Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers.
LO7 Shifts in Sentence Construction.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

3. Opening Activity
The following phrases are fragments. Add words and phrases to help turn these fragments into complete sentences.
Drove by the stadium.
The track around the field.
While running a touchdown.
Cheered wildly from the stands.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

4. Common Fragments
Fragment - a group of words that is missing a subject or a verb (or both) or that does not express a complete thought
Drove to the baseball game. (FRAGMENT)
They drove to the baseball game. (CORRECT)
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

5. Tricky Fragments
Fragments commonly used in speech should be eliminated from formal writing.
Good morning.
Where’s he at?
Implied subject - the word you, assumed to begin command sentences
Grab that pencil.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

6. Comma Splices
Comma splice - a sentence error that occurs when two sentences are connected with only a comma
Steven Left the room, George started the music. (COMMA SPLICE)
Comma splices can be corrected by:
Adding a coordinating conjunction (For, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so)
Steven left the room, and George started the music.
Adding a subordinating conjunction (while, when, if, after, where, etc.)
While Steven left the room, George started the music.
Replacing the comma with a semi-colon
Steven left the room; George started the music.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

7. Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentence - a sentence error that occurs when two sentences are joined without punctuation or a connecting word
The painter went to lunch his apprentice kept working. (RUN-ON)
Run-on Sentences can be corrected by:
Adding a comma and a coordinating conjunction (For, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so)
The painter went to lunch, yet his apprentice kept working.
Adding a subordinating conjunction and a comma (while, when, if, after, where, etc.)
While the painter went to lunch, his apprentice kept working.
Inserting a semi-colon
The painter went to lunch; his apprentice kept working.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

8. Rambling Sentences
Rambling sentence - a sentence error that occurs when a long series of separate ideas are connected by one and, but, or so after another
When the day began I had no idea I would be spending so much time at the college, I started out in the advising office and spoke to the counselor afterwards I talked to someone in the business office and paid my tuition. (RAMBLING SENTENCE)
When the day began, I had no idea I would be spending so much time at the college. I started out in the advising office and spoke to the counselor. Afterwards, I talked to someone in the business office and paid my tuition.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

9. Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers
Dangling modifier - a modifying word, phrase, or clause that appears to modify the wrong word or a word that isn’t in the sentence
After placing the vegetables and fruit in the refrigerator, the kitchen was cleaned-up. (DANGLING MODIFIER)
After placing the vegetables and fruit in the refrigerator, my roommate cleaned-up the kitchen.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
R. Gino Santa Maria, 2014 / Used under license from Shutterstock.com

10. Shifts in Sentence Construction
Shift in person - an error that occurs when first, second, and/or third person are improperly mixed in a sentence.
First person - I or we (the person speaking)
Second person - you (the person spoken to)
Third person - he, she, it, or they (the person or thing spoken about)
If you write in their journal every day, they will grow as a writer. (SHIFT IN PERSON)
If you write in your journal every day, you will grow as a writer.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

11. Misplaced/Dangling Modifiers
Misplaced modifier - a modifying word, phrase, or clause that has been placed incorrectly in a sentence, often creating an amusing or illogical idea
With a sigh of resignation, the essay earned a C from the professor. (MISPLACED MODIFIER)
With a sigh of resignation, the professor noted that the student’s essay earned a C.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

12. Shifts in Sentence Construction
Shift in tense - an error that occurs when more than one verb tense is improperly used in a sentence
Writing in a journal every day challenged a person to expanding his or her vocabulary and sentence structure. (SHIFT IN TENSE)
Writing in a journal every day challenges a person to expand his or her vocabulary and sentence structure.
lenetstan, 2014 / Use under license from Shutterstock.com
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

13. Activity
Correct the following comma splices using each of the three methods noted in the chapter.
He flew his paper airplane, Juno ran across the grass at the park.
Sylvia noticed the man with the paper airplane, he was wearing a checkered shirt.
Juno and Sylvia bought a lemonade from the stand, the lemonade was too warm.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

14. Activity Answers (will vary):
While he flew his paper airplane, Juno ran across the grass at the park.
Sylvia noticed the man with the paper airplane, and he was wearing a checkered shirt.
Juno and Sylvia bought a lemonade from the stand; the lemonade was too warm.
© 2016 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.