SOLVING SENTENCE PROBLEMS

FRAGMENTS, RUN-ONS, AND COMPLETE SENTENCES

WHAT IS A SENTENCE?

• SENTENCES HAVE SEVERAL BASIC COMPONENTS.

• THEY ALWAYS START WITH CAPITAL LETTERS AND END WITH PUNCTUATION MARKS…BUT THAT’S EASY.

• THEY ALSO ALWAYS, REPEAT ALWAYS, HAVE A SUBJECT AND A VERB.

• FINALLY SENTENCES EXPRESS COMPLETE THOUGHTS.

FRAGMENTS

• SENTENCES THAT ARE MISSING EITHER A SUBJECT OR A VERB ARE CONSIDERED FRAGMENTS.

• EXAMPLE:

• RAN IN TO TOWN.

• THE GROWING DOG.

• HOW CAN WE FIX THESE TWO EXAMPLES?

FRAGMENTS CONTINUED

• UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS A BIT MORE TO IT THAN SIMPLY MISSING A SUBJECT OR A VERB.

• YOU CAN HAVE A GROUP OF WORDS WITH A SUBJECT AND A VERB THAT IS STILL A FRAGMENT.

• PHRASES

• CLAUSES

PHRASES

• PHRASES ARE SIMPLY A GROUP OF WORDS.

• COMMON PHRASES INCLUDE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES.

• THE BOX RULE

• PHRASES ARE EASY.

CLAUSES

• CLAUSES ARE MORE COMPLICATED.

• A CLAUSE IS A GROUP OF WORDS WITH A SUBJECT AND A VERB.

• THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CLAUSES:

• INDEPENDENT CLAUSE = ONE THAT CAN STAND ALONE AND EXPRESS A COMPLETE THOUGHT.

• DEPENDENT CLAUSE = ONE THAT DEPENDS ON ANOTHER PART OF THE SENTENCE TO COMPLETE ITS MEANING.

MORE ABOUT CLAUSES

• JUST TO MAKE THINGS MORE DIFFICULT, CLAUSES CAN GO BY DIFFERENT NAMES:

• INDEPENDENT CLAUSE = MAIN CLAUSE

• DEPENDENT CLAUSE = SUBORDINATE CLAUSE

CLAUSE PRACTICE

• IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF CLAUSE THAT EXISTS IN EACH EXAMPLE:

• I SIT

• IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE

• WHEN IT IS COLD

• CAN YOU PUT ALL OF THOSE TOGETHER INTO ONE SENTENCE THAT MAKES SENSE?

REVIEW

• WHAT IS A FRAGMENT?

• WHAT ARE THE TWO NAMES FOR GROUPS OF WORDS?

• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES OF GROUPS?

RUN-ON SENTENCES

• RUN-ON SENTENCES ARE BASICALLY THE OPPOSITE OF SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

• THEY DO NOT LACK A SUBJECT, VERB, OR A CLAUSE TO COMPLETE THE THOUGHT…

• INSTEAD, RUN-ON SENTENCES HAVE TOO MANY AND CAN CONFUSE MEANING.

RUN-ON EXAMPLE

• WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO SENTENCES:

• I SAW A TEACHER WHO CARES?

• I SAW A TEACHER. WHO CARES?

RUN-ON SENTENCES

• THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO FIX RUN-ON SENTENCES DEPENDING ON THE INTENDED MEANING.

• THE FIRST, AND MOST SIMPLE WAY IS TO SIMPLY BREAK THE RUN-ON SENTENCE INTO SMALLER SENTENCES.

• OTHER WAYS TO FIX RUN-ON SENTENCES INCLUDE:

• COMBINING THE SENTENCES INTO A COMPOUND OR COMPLEX SENTENCE.

• COMMAS

• CONJUNCTIONS

• SEMICOLON

RUN-ON PRACTICE

• FIX THESE SENTENCES:

• I WALK TO SCHOOL MOM TAKES THE BUS TO WORK.

• LAURA LOVED TRAVELING IN ITALY SHE FELT ROME WAS TOO HOT.

• THE GIRLS PLAYED BASKETBALL THE BOYS PLAYED TENNIS.

• MOTHER’S DAY IS ALWAYS ON A SUNDAY THANKSGIVING IS ALWAYS ON A THURSDAY.

REMEMBER

• SENTENCES MUST EXPRESS AT LEAST ONE COMPLETE THOUGHT.

• PHRASES ARE GROUPS OF WORDS.

• CLAUSES ARE GROUPS OF WORDS WITH SUBJECTS AND VERBS.

• FRAGMENTS ARE MISSING SOMETHING.

• RUN-ON SENTENCES HAVE TOO MANY THOUGHTS IN A SINGLE SENTENCE.