Fixing Fragments & Run-Ons

Every complete sentence needs two things: a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (what the subject does or is). It also has to express a complete thought.

A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It might be missing a subject, a verb, or both. Sometimes it is a dependent clause, like "because the rain stopped," that is not attached to a full sentence.

How to spot a fragment: ask yourself two questions. Who or what is this about? What are they doing? If you cannot answer both, or if the words leave you waiting for more, you have a fragment.

Fragment: "Running through the park." Who is running? We do not know.

Fix it by adding the missing part: "The dog was running through the park." Now it has a subject and a verb, and it tells a complete thought.

A sentence needs two things to be complete: a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a verb (what the subject does or is). It also needs to express a complete thought.

A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It might be missing a subject, a verb, or both. It can also be a dependent clause standing alone, like "When we got to the beach." That leaves the reader asking, what happened when we got to the beach?

To correct a fragment, first figure out what is missing. Then add it.

Fragment: "Sat on the porch all afternoon." There is no subject, so add one: "Grandpa sat on the porch all afternoon."

Fragment: "Because I was hungry." This is a dependent clause on its own, so attach it to a full sentence: "Because I was hungry, I made a sandwich."

A run-on happens when two or more independent clauses are not separated correctly. An independent clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a sentence.

Here is a run-on: "I'm pretty sure I have a ghost in my attic I can hear it rattling around all night long."

That is really two full sentences squashed together:

1. I'm pretty sure I have a ghost in my attic. 2. I can hear it rattling around all night long.

There are three good ways to fix a run-on:

1. Split it with a full stop: "I'm pretty sure I have a ghost in my attic. I can hear it rattling around all night long." 2. Join it with a comma and a conjunction like and, but, or so: "I'm pretty sure I have a ghost in my attic, and I can hear it rattling around all night long." 3. Join it with a semicolon: "I'm pretty sure I have a ghost in my attic; I can hear it rattling around all night long."

A compound sentence joins two or more independent clauses. Remember, an independent clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Take two simple sentences: "Maya kicked the ball. Sam caught it." Each one is an independent clause.

We can join them into one compound sentence. One common way is a comma plus a conjunction like and, but, or so: "Maya kicked the ball, and Sam caught it."

Another way is a semicolon: "Maya kicked the ball; Sam caught it."

The important rule is that you cannot join two independent clauses with nothing at all, or with only a comma. "Maya kicked the ball Sam caught it" is a run-on, and "Maya kicked the ball, Sam caught it" is a comma splice. Both are errors.

A compound sentence joins two or more independent clauses. One way to connect them is with a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction. There are seven of these little words: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. You can remember them with the word FANBOYS.

Here is the pattern: independent clause, comma, conjunction, independent clause.

"The cake was in the oven, but the timer never rang."

"Luis wanted to play outside, so he finished his homework fast."

Watch out for two common mistakes. A comma by itself is not strong enough to join two clauses. "The cake burned, we ordered pizza" is wrong. That error is called a comma splice. And leaving the comma out when you use a conjunction makes the sentence hard to read.