Sentence Fragments
A complete sentence consists of at least one independent
clause. An independent clause has a subject and a verb, and it stands alone or
could stand alone as a sentence.
A fragment cannot stand alone as
a sentence because
(1)
it has no subject OR
Example: The student
rewrote his body paragraphs to add more details. Then proofread his paper
for grammar and punctuation errors.
(2) it
has no verb OR
Example: Our textbook
describes several patterns of development for writing a paragraph or an essay. Such
as narration definition, comparison & contrast, process analysis, and
argumentation.
(3)
it is a subordinate clause.
Example: She reread the story. Because
she wanted to make sure she understood the complicated plot.
Although a subordinate clause has both a subject
and a verb, it functions within a sentence as an adjective, adverb, or noun.
Subordinate clauses are often introduced by a subordinating word, such as
After Although As Because Before If
Since That Though Unless Until When
Where Which While Who
Sentence fragments can be corrected
by adding missing elements to make complete sentences or by attaching them to
related sentences. The fragments from the examples above can be corrected as
follows:
The student rewrote his body paragraphs
to add more details. Then he proofread his paper for grammar and punctuation
errors.
Our textbook describes several patterns
of development for writing a paragraph or an essay, such as narration,
definition, comparison & contrast, process analysis, and argumentation.
She reread the story because she
wanted to make sure she understood the complicated plot.
Correct the fragment errors in the
following sentences.
1. I
seem to run into bad weather. Whenever I rent a boat.
2. Since
you’re going to drive anyway. Maybe you can give me a ride.
3. NBC
is broadcasting the debates. With discussions afterwards.
4. The
dog barking. Who can sleep at night?
5. She
worked really hard last year. To get good grades and pay her own way.
6. He
plays lots of sports. For example, tennis and soccer.
Run-ons and Comma Splices
A run-on error occurs when two or
more independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation.
EXAMPLE: I loved the book I hated the movie.
A comma splice error occurs when
two independent clauses are separated by just a comma.
EXAMPLE: I loved the book, I hated the movie.
Run-on and comma splice errors can
be corrected by
(1) separating the
two independent clauses into two sentences, OR
EXAMPLE: I loved the book. I hated the movie.
(2) adding a
semicolon (or replacing comma with a semicolon), OR
EXAMPLE: I loved the book; I hated the movie.
(3) adding a comma
and conjunction, OR
EXAMPLE: I loved the book, and I hated the movie.
(4) converting one
of the independent clauses into a subordinate clause.
EXAMPLE: Although I loved the book, I hated the
movie.
Correct the run-on and comma splice errors in the
following sentences or mark as correct. (Sentences are adapted from The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.)
1. His
name was Bob Kiley everyone called him Rat.
2. It’s
not just the embarrassment of tears, that’s part of it, but what embarrasses me
much more is the paralysis that took my heart.
3. For
me, it was very special, down inside I had important things to tell her, big
profound things, but I couldn’t make any words come out.
4. Sitting
there in the backseat, I wanted to find some way to let her know how I felt,
all I could manage was a stupid comment about the cap.
5. Tiny
sounds get heightened and distorted, the crickets talk in code, the night takes
on a weird electronic tingle.
6. Just
before dusk, Alpha Company stood for roll call, afterward the men separated
into two groups, some went off to write letters or party or sleep.
7. The
hours go by and you lose your gyroscope your mind starts to roam, you think
about dark closets, madmen, murderers under the bed, all those childhood fears.
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