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Fragments, Comma Splices, and Run-ons

Fragments, comma splices, and run-ons are the most common mistakes that people make in their writing.

Sentence: a group of words that has a subject and a verb (independent clause) and communicates a complete thought. It begins with a capital letter and ends with an appropriate punctuation mark.

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Sentence Fragments

Fragment: A sentence that doesn’t have an independent clause (could be simply a phrase or dependent clause)

a group of words that lack a complete thought and therefore an incomplete sentence.

Sentence fragments frustrate people because fragments do not finish the thoughts they start.

Suppose someone comes up to you and says, “Tonight after school.”
If that is all the person says, you will probably be frustrated. You might find yourself thinking, “Tonight after school, WHAT?”

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A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it leaves the reader hanging.

Ex: After Mario hit the winning run…what? DC

A dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction that changes the sound of the clause

Sentence Fragments

A sentence must have an independent clause

An independent clause has a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete idea.

Ex: Mario hit the winning run. IC

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A phrase is any group of words that does not have a subject and a verb.

Ex: in the morning Ph

Phrases and dependent clauses add details and make a sentence more interesting, but they cannot be sentences by themselves.

Sentence Fragments

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Common Types of Fragments

Prepositional phrase fragment:

Victor was very tired. After his sixteen-mile race.

Participle phrase fragment:

The children were very happy. Walking to school on the first day of class this year.

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Common Types of Fragments

Infinitive phrase fragment:

To win the first prize in the sand castle building contest. That was my brother’s goal.

Appositive phrase fragment:

Our team visited Yankee Stadium. The baseball field located in New York City.

DependentClause fragment:

You would be very surprised. If you saw

how much your little cousin has grown this year.

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Process For Identifying Fragments

Step 1

Change the time and listen for a verb.
If you find a verb, double underline it and go on to the next step.
If there is no verb, the sentence is a phrase.
Mark F for fragment and you are done.
If there is a verb, go to the next step.

Ex: Early in the morning. F

Ex: After Mark drove all night.

(Go to the next step)

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Step 2

Next, look for a subject by asking “who?”
If you find a subject, underline it and go on to the next step.
If there is no subject, the sentence is a phrase.
Mark F for fragment and you are done.
If there is a subject, go to the next step.

Ex: Drove all night. F

Ex: After Mark drove all night.

(Go to the next step.)

Process For Identifying Fragments

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Step 3

If you have a verb and a subject, it is a clause.
Now you must determine what kind of clause.
Look for a subordinating conjunction.
If you find one, underline it with a wavy line.
If the clause has a subordinating conjunction, it is a dependent clause.
Mark F for fragment and you are done.
If there is a subject, go to the next step.

After Mark drove all night. F

Process For Identifying Fragments

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Step 4

If the clause does not have a subordinating conjunction, it is an independent clause.
Mark OK for a correct sentence.

Mark drove all night. OK

Process For Identifying Fragments

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Follow the steps:

Double underline the verbs.
Underline the subjects.
Draw a wavy line under the subordinating conjunctions.
Mark phrases and dependent clauses F.
Mark independent clauses OK.

EXAMPLE:

The capybara is the world’s largest rodent. F – OK

Review: Process For Identifying Fragments

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Identifying Sentence Fragments

Three of the following are fragments or portions of a complete sentence. Underline the fragments.

After the meal was finished.
Because he was so tall, Izzy always sat in the last seat in the row.
Mr. Thompson, a great French teacher, passed away several years ago.
Once the couple had inspected at least sixty homes in that town.
Have you ever visited Connecticut? The Nutmeg State.
Roy and Estella will be married at the end of the month.

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Fixing Fragments

There are two ways to fix a fragment, and they both involve erasing something.

First Method: You can erase a period and attach the fragment to a sentence that has an independent clause.

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EXAMPLE:

In the morning. Sherry jogs three miles.

Ph – fragment IC

Erase the period to attach the fragment to a complete sentence:

In the morning Sherry jogs three miles.

Ph IC

By joining the fragment to a complete sentence, you created one longer sentence. One independent clause is enough even for a very long sentence.

Fixing Fragments

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Second method: If the fragment is a dependent clause, you can erase the subordinating conjunction and turn the dependent clause into an independent clause.

When the dog chews the newspaper.

DC – fragment

Erase the subordinating conjunction:

The dog chews the newspaper.

Fixing Fragments

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Follow the steps: Double underline the verbs. Underline the subjects. Draw a wavy line under the subordinating conjunctions.

Any sentence that does not have an independent clause is a fragment.

Fix the fragments by crossing out a period or by crossing out a subordinating conjunction.

Practice Fixing Fragments

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1. Alex, an African gray parrot, was thirty-one when he died. For thirty out of his thirty-one years he lived in a research lab. At Brandeis University.

2. Scientist Irene Pepperberg taught him to speak. Pepperberg believed. That animals had higher –order thinking capabilities.

3. When Pepperberg showed him two objects such as a green key and a green cup. Alex could identify the similarity by saying “color.” To show the difference between the two items. He spoke the word “shape.”

Group Practice Fixing Fragments

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4. Alex also counted and did simple arithmetic. When Alex died in 2007. He finally mastered saying the number seven.

5. Alex’s accomplishments seem incredible. Because a parrot’s brain is approximately the size of a walnut. Irene Pepperberg’s demonstrated that animals are capable of higher-level thinking.

Group Practice Fixing Fragments

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4. Alex also counted and did simple arithmetic. When Alex died in 2007. He finally mastered saying the number seven.

5. Alex’s accomplishments seem incredible. Because a parrot’s brain is approximately the size of a walnut. Irene Pepperberg’s demonstrated that animals are capable of higher-level thinking.

Group Practice Fixing Fragments

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Comma Splices and Run-Ons

Comma splices/run-ons:

two or more sentences incorrectly written as a single sentence

sentences that are jammed together without proper punctuation

both have two independent clauses

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Comma Splices and Run-Ons

Comma splice has a comma between the two independent clauses

Run-on Does Not have a comma.

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Comma Splices and Run-Ons

Examples

Ex: “Ursula walked down the street, she carried her purse.”

This is a _____________since two complete sentences are spliced or joined by a comma.

Ex: “Ursula walked down the street she carried her purse.”

This is a _______________because one complete sentence runs into another complete sentence.

Comma splice

Run-on sentence

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Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

First Method: Add a period at the spot where the two clauses meet to separate the two clauses into two sentences.

Examples:

Sue cooked dinner, Joe washed the dishes. CS

IC IC

Sue cooked dinner. Joe washed the dishes. OK

IC IC

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Second Method: Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction between the two independent clauses. (FANBOYS)

For	And	Nor	But	Or	Yet	So

They are the ONLY words that can be used with a comma to separate two independent clauses.

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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Sue cooked dinner, and Joe washed the dishes. OK

IC IC

EXAMPLE:

A comma with any other word gives you a comma splice.

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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Coordinating vs. Subordinating

SUB

the prefix sub means below or less powerful.

Makes a clause less powerful – (dependent) because the clause sounds unfinished

The prefix co means together or equal.

Joins things that are equal, such as two independent clauses.

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Third Method: Add a subordinating conjunction at the beginning of one of the clauses to make the clause dependent (so now you don’t have two independent clause together).

Use whichever subordinating conjunction suits the meaning of your sentence.

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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Sue cooked dinner, Joe washed the dishes. CS

IC IC

After Sue cooked dinner, Joe washed the dishes. OK

DC IC

Sue cooked dinner before Joe washed the dishes. OK

IC DC

EXAMPLES:

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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Fourth Method: You can add a semi-colon ( ; ) between the two clauses.

A semi-colon is big enough to separate the two independent clauses, but it is small enough that the two clauses are still one sentence.

Sue cooked dinner; Joe washed the dishes. OK

IC IC

EXAMPLE:

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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For a variation on the semi-colon method, you can also add a conjunctive adverb and a comma.

however	therefore
consequently	furthermore
nevertheless	hence
accordingly	moreover

Common Conjunctive Adverbs

Sue cooked dinner; therefore, Joe washed the dishes.

IC IC

EXAMPLE:

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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However & But

The word however and the word but have essentially the same meaning. But when it comes to punctuation, they are totally different.

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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But is a coordinating conjunction, one of those seven special little words that can be used with a comma to separate two independent clauses.

However is a conjunctive adverb. Conjunctive adverbs can’t do anything in your sentence except sound impressive.

Four Methods for Fixing Comma Splices and Run-Ons

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Unlike coordinating conjunctions, they can’t join independent clauses, and unlike subordinating conjunctions, they don’t make a clause dependent; they are purely decorative.

If you want to put a conjunctive adverb between two independent clauses, go ahead, but be sure that you also use a semi-colon to separate the two clauses.

Conjunctive Adverb

however	therefore
consequently	furthermore
nevertheless	hence
accordingly	moreover

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Practice

In the space below the comma splice or run-on problem, write a correct version of the same idea, or correct it right on the sentence. There may be more than one correct version.
My parents bought new furniture, all the pieces fit well together.

She loved to have her fingernails done the cost of doing so never bothered her.

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Practice

In the space below the comma splice or run-on problem, write a correct version of the same idea, or correct it right on the sentence. There may be more than one correct version.

This watch is waterproof my father even wears it when he goes for a swim.

Your company had the workers sign an agreement if would bind all parties to a code of silence.

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Practice

In the space below the comma splice or run-on problem, write a correct version of the same idea, or correct it right on the sentence. There may be more than one correct version.

Four lifeguards sprinted across the beach all of them were trying to get to the helpless swimmer.