Sentence Errors & How to Fix ThemMr. EbleCP1 Junior English

First of All: A complete sentence…

…has a subject and a verb Incomplete: Went to the store to prepare for the

zombie apocalypse. Complete: Ben went to the store to prepare for

the zombie apocalypse.

…expresses a complete thought Incomplete: When he went to the checkout

counter to pay for the zombie repellent. Complete: When he went to the checkout counter

to pay for the zombie repellent, Ben warned the cashier.

Types of Sentences Simple

A sentence with one independent clause and no dependent clauses.

Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week. Compound

A sentence with multiple independent clauses but no dependent clauses.

Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, and Mr. Eble mocks him for it.

Types of Sentences (cont’d) Complex

A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Because Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, Mr. Eble mocks him.

Complex / Compound A sentence with multiple independent clauses and

at least one dependent clause. Mr. Buckley shaves his head every week, and

because Mr. Eble mocks him (which is funny), the two engage in a fistfight just as often.

Two Main Sentence ErrorsRun-on Sentence

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are combined without correct punctuation.

Sentence Fragment Sentences are

considered fragments when they are missing either a subject or a verb or they don’t express a complete thought and stand alone (dependent clause)

Examples: Run-ons / FragmentsRun-on Sentence

The grocery store was really packed with people there must have been a big sale today.

The book we had to read for class was really long my teacher doesn’t seem to understand that we have other classes to read for too.

Fragment “Hurry, I urge my

country. Before it’s too late.”

Yeah, right. When he went to

the grocery store.

Fixing Run-on Sentences A Break it into two sentences. RUN-ON: The grocery store was really

packed with people there must have been a big sale today.

FIXED: The grocery store was really packed with people. There must have been a big sale today.

Fixing Run-on Sentences B Add a coordinating conjunction and a comma

to make a compound sentence. RUN-ON: The grocery store was really packed

with people there must have been a big sale today.

FIXED: The grocery store was packed with people, so there must have been a big sale today.

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS: Remember the acronym FANBOYS… For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

Fixing Run-on Sentences C Add a subordinating conjunction and a comma

to make a complex sentence. RUN-ON: The grocery store was really packed

with people there must have been a big sale today.

FIXED: Because the grocery store was really packed with people, there must have been a big sale.

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS—AAAh-Whoo-Bus! (AAAWWUBBIS): After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Before, Because, If, Since

Fixing Run-on Sentences D Use a semicolon RUN-ON: The grocery store was really

packed with people there must have been a big sale.

FIXED: The grocery store was really packed with people; there must have been a big sale.

Fixing Run-On Sentences NO-NO You cannot simply add a comma; this is

a comma splice. RUN-ON: The grocery store was really

packed with people there must have been a big sale today.

COMMA SPLICE (NO-NO): The grocery store was really packed with people, there must have been a big sale today.

Fixing Sentence Fragments A Add a subject or a verb (whatever is

missing)

Fixing Sentence Fragments B Make your fragment a complete thought

Keep an eye out for subordinating conjunctions: When you find one, combine the fragment with a nearby sentence that connects with it logically.

SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS—AAAh-Whoo-Bus! (AAAWWUBBIS): After, Although, As, When, While, Until, Before, Because, If, Since

FRAG: When he went to the grocery store. FIXED: When he went to the grocery store,

his credit card didn’t work.

Works Consulted University of North Carolina Writing

Center: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/fragments-and-run-ons/

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/index.php?category_id=2&sub_category_id=1&article_id=33