1. Sentence Errors & How to Fix Them

2. First of All: A complete sentence…
…has a subject and a verb
Incomplete: Went to the store to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
Complete: TJ went to the store to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
…expresses a complete thought
Incomplete: When he went to the checkout counter to pay for the zombie repellent.
Complete: When he went to the checkout counter to pay for the zombie repellent, TJ warned the cashier.

3. Types of Sentences Simple Compound
A sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clauses.
Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week.
Compound
A sentence with multiple independent clauses but no dependent clauses.
Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, and Mr. Sharp mocks him for it.

4. Types of Sentences (cont’d)
Complex
A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
Because Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, Mr. Sharp mocks him.
Complex / Compound
A sentence with multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, and because Sharp mocks him (which is funny), the two engage in a fistfight just as often.

5. Two Main Sentence Errors
Run-on Sentence
Sentence Fragment
A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are combined without correct punctuation.
Sentences are considered fragments when they are missing either a subject or a verb or they don’t express a complete thought and stand alone (dependent clause)

6. Examples: Run-ons / Fragments
Run-on Sentence
Fragment
The grocery store was really packed with people there must have been a big sale today.
The book we had to read for class was really long my teacher doesn’t seem to understand that we have other classes to read for too.
“Hurry, I urge my country. Before it’s too late.”
Yeah, right.
When he went to the grocery store.

7. Fixing Run-on Sentences A
Break it into two sentences.
RUN-ON: The grocery store was really packed with people there must have been a big sale today.
FIXED: The grocery store was really packed with people. There must have been a big sale today.

8. Fixing Run-on Sentences B
Add a coordinating conjunction and a comma to make a compound sentence.
RUN-ON: The grocery store was really packed with people there must have been a big sale today.
FIXED: The grocery store was packed with people, so there must have been a big sale today.
COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS: Remember the acronym FANBOYS…
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

9. Fixing Run-on Sentences C
Add a subordinating conjunction and a comma to make a complex sentence.
RUN-ON: The grocery store was packed with people there must have been a big sale today.
FIXED: Because the grocery store was packed with people, there must have been a big sale.
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS—AAAh-Whoo-Bus! (AAAWWUBBIS): After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Before, Because, If, Since

10. Fixing Run-on Sentences D
Use a semicolon
RUN-ON: The grocery store was packed with people there must have been a big sale.
FIXED: The grocery store was packed with people; there must have been a big sale.

11. Fixing Run-On Sentences NO-NO
You cannot simply add a comma; this is a comma splice.
RUN-ON: The grocery store was really packed with people there must have been a big sale today.
COMMA SPLICE (NO-NO): The grocery store was really packed with people, there must have been a big sale today.

12. Fixing Sentence Fragments A
Add a subject or a verb (whatever is missing)

13. Fixing Sentence Fragments B
Make your fragment a complete thought
Keep an eye out for subordinating conjunctions: When you find one, combine the fragment with a nearby sentence that connects with it logically.
SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS—AAAh-Whoo-Bus! (AAAWWUBBIS): After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Before, Because, If, Since
FRAG: When he went to the grocery store.
FIXED: When he went to the grocery store, his credit card didn’t work.

14. Works Consulted
University of North Carolina Writing Center:
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL):