1. Sentences * Types of Sentences
* Sentence Structure: Fragments, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices

2. Types of Sentences
A simple sentence consists of one independent clause and no subordinate clauses. A simple sentence may contain a compound subject or a compound verb.
EXAMPLE:
Most TV family shows idealize family life.
According to TV, parents could understand and
solve any problem. (compound verb)

3. A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
EXAMPLE:
A 1970s sitcom called The Brady Bunch
featured a blended family that consisted of two of
the original parents, three girls, and three boys.
A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined together.
The TV Father worked, and the TV mother
stayed at home with the TV children.

4. A compound-complex sentence consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more subordinate clauses.
EXAMPLE:
Each week the show broke new ground, and, as
actors tackled one sensitive subject after
another, the show quickly became the number
one program on television.

5. Writing Sentences
A sentence fragment is part of a sentence that is punctuated as if it were a complete sentence.
Fragments are caused by missing parts, sometimes a sentence fragment is missing a subject or a verb.
EXAMPLE:
Chef Crum angered by the rejection. (fragment)
How would you make this a complete thought?

6. A run-on sentence is two or more sentences written as though they were one sentence.
Ways to fix: separate into two sentences, comma + FANBOYS, or semicolon.
EXAMPLE:
The book paved the way for Julia Child’s
television series The French Chef eventually
Child became a star in the world of cooking.
Fix this run-on

7. What’s the mistake below?
A comma splice occurs when the writer mistakenly uses a comma instead of a semicolon or period.
What’s the mistake below?
EXAMPLE:
For generations, people have enjoyed the ever
popular ice cream as a dessert, historical
records show that ice cream was invented by
the Chinese around 2000 B.C.

8. Checklist for Correcting Fragments and Run-Ons
Have I…
____ avoided a run-on sentence by adding a conjunction and a comma or a semicolon or a period?
____ corrected any comma splices with a semicolon or a period?
Does each sentence…
____ have a subject?
____ have a verb?
____ express a complete thought?