Sentence Fragments and Run-Ons

Original Author Unknown

What is a sentence fragment?

A sentence fragment is a group of words that don’t

state a complete thought.

Sometimes a fragment is missing a subject, and sometimes a verb.

Other times, afragment has a subject and a verb, but the thought still isn’t

complete.

These are Fragments

• Took the books.• My mom and dad.• A puppy crying in Matt’s backyard.

Completing the Fragments

Carlos took the books. Now we know who took the books.

My mom and dad bought a new car. Now we know what my mom and dad

bought

A puppy is crying in Matt’s backyard. Now the sentence has a complete verb.

Sometimes a writer makes a fragment look like a complete sentence. The writer starts the fragment with a capital letter and ends it with a period, but the fragment is still a fragment.It does not express a complete thought.

Make these fragments into sentences: • Wrote a long letter to Granddad.• To the store on the corner.• Forgot his sister’s birthday.Think about what is missing in each

fragment. What you could add to make each fragment

a complete sentence ?

What Is a Run-on Sentence?

A run-on

is two or more sentences put together without the correct punctuation or capitalization. A reader cannot tell where one sentence ends and the next one begins.

Rafael is watching television his sister is

going skating.This is a run-on sentence. It is two

sentences put together. One sentence tells about Rafael. The other sentence tells about his sister. There is no punctuation between the two sentences, and there is no capital letter to show where the second sentence begins.

How can we rewrite the sentence?

Write two sentences: • Rafael is watching television. His

sister is going skating.Use a conjunction to connect the

sentences• Rafael is watching television, but his

sister is going skating.

Which of these are run-on sentences ? Make the run–on a grammatically correct sentence. If the sentence is correct, write correct.

1. My cousin works at the mall she sells jewelry.2. Frankie went to the movies on Saturday.3. My friend Caleb has a pet snake its name is

Emerald.4. Leo can’t play outside today it is raining.5. We have a soccer field on our school

playground.6. Bats hang upside down they do this when they

sleep.