Fixing Sentence Fragments & Run-On Sentences
Main Learning Goal and Core Concepts: The goal of this lesson is to recognize a sentence fragment and a run-on sentence. Students will learn to correct these sentences and write complete sentences moving forward.
Vocabulary
Sentence Fragment
A sentence fragment is a sentence that is missing either its subject or its main verb.
Example: Went to the store yesterday.
Run-On Sentence
A run-on sentence is a sentence when independent clauses are not joined properly.
Example: Participants could leave the study, they needed to indicate their preference
Lesson Brief
How can we correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences?
Sentence Fragments:
- Example: Went to the store yesterday.
- Correction: I went to the store yesterday.
Run-On Sentences:
- Example: People could leave not the room when the meeting finished, they needed to put down their choice first.
- Correction: People could leave not the room when the meeting finished. They needed to put down their choice first.
Directions: Each of the following sentences is either a fragment or a run-on. Rewrite the sentences so that they are grammatically correct.
- He went to the store, he bought a candy bar.
- Having went to the store to buy food for dinner.
- When I went to the park to sit on the swings.
- Education is the key to success, you should always try your best.
- Until she went to the library to study.
- Studying all night for the big test next week.
- Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class, he missed all of the other weeks.
- Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything, Janie was a mean person.
Directions: Each of the following sentences is either a fragment or a run-on. Rewrite the sentences so that they are grammatically correct.
- He went to the store, he bought a candy bar.
He went to the store. He bought a candy bar.
Explanation: “He went to the store” is one independent clause, while “he bought a candy bar” is another independent clause, which means they can be their own sentences. If you see a comma between two independent clauses, that is where you should place your period.
- Having went to the store to buy food for dinner.
I went to the store to buy food for dinner.
Explanation: “Having” is not needed to make the sentence and instead needs the subject “I”.
- When I went to the park to sit on the swings.
I went to the park to sit on the swings.
Explanation: “When” is not needed to make a complete sentence.
- Education is the key to success, you should always try your best.
Education is the key to success. You should always try your best.
Explanation: “Education is the key to success” is one independent clause while “you should always try your best” is another clause.
- Until she went to the library to study.
She went to the library to study.
Explanation: “Until” is not needed to make a complete sentence.
- Studying all night for the big test next week.
I was studying all night for the big test next week.
Explanation: A subject is needed to make an independent clause.
- Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class, he missed all of the other weeks.
Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class. He missed all of the other weeks.
Explanation: “Although Tom did his homework for a week” is considered a dependent clause, hence making a sentence with “he failed reading class”.
- Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything, Janie was a mean person.
Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything. Janie was a mean person.
Explanation: “Even though Tammy didn’t do anything” is a dependent clause, meaning it should be added to an independent clause to better understand the sentence.
Notes:
- If your sentence looks really long and you are using the words “and” or a comma to combine your ideas, it is better to make them into more sentences rather than one long sentence.
- If there is a comma within the sentence and it does not make sense when you read it, you should make it into more sentences.
- With fragment sentences, add a subject word to the sentence, such as “I, he she, they”
- You mostly use I if you need to add a subject
- If there is already a subject in the sentence but the sentence does not make any sense still, try to take out one word at a time to make it a complete sentence
Take a look at blank template of the practice problems here.
If you want another online writing lesson, additional information can be found here and here.
If you would like a blank copy of the worksheet and the corresponding answer key, they can be found below: