

This is a complete sentence, also known as an independent clause, because it fulfills all three sentence requirements. Complete thought: the sentence makes sense without any extra information.įor example, consider the sentence, “The hungry dog ate a cheeseburger.”.It tells us what the subject is being or doing. Verb: the verb is the action or state of being performed by the subject of the sentence.

Essentially, the subject tells us who or what is performing the verb in the sentence. Subject: the subject is the noun or pronoun that is doing something in a sentence.
Fragment definition grammar how to#
Read on to learn more about sentence fragments and find out how to fix them.Ī sentence fragment is another term for an incomplete sentence.Ī sentence is a group of words that includes a subject, a verb, and expresses a complete thought. When I was a child computers took up a whole room, now they fit in my pocket.Sentence fragments are one of the most common grammar mistakes you should look out for in your writing.Ī sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that is missing an important element. With its tall skyscrapers and busy streets. The countryside is divided into horse pastures by pretty white fences. Our school created a drive-in theater in the parking lot and showed old black and white movies. The quarterback threw the ball then the receiver missed it and everyone ended up in a big pile of players.

The wind is blowing the branches into the roads and it's raining really hard. Before we go to the movies tonight, I want to take a nap. On the quiet, secluded beach where we could see the dolphins playing in the waves.
Fragment definition grammar code#
After we learned how to code in school, we taught ourselves how to write cell phone apps. Directions: Decide if each sentence is a sentence, a fragment, or a run-on. Fragment: When you finally get here, after you fly into Orlando and then drive all the way from the airport.įixed: When you finally get here, after you fly into Orlando and then drive all the way from the airport, we will celebrate. Sometimes students begin a compound-complex sentence and forget to end it. Why did the chicken cross the road?įragment: Because it wanted to get to the other side.įixed: The chicken crossed the road because it wanted to get to the other side.įixed: Because it wanted to get to the other side, the chicken crossed the road. One of the most common fragments students write is a result of answering a question using just the dependent clause. It may be a phrase or a dependent clause without an independent clause. A correctly written compound sentence must either have a comma and a conjunction or a semicolon.Ĭomma splice: I was going to pick up some donuts, I was running late.įixed: I was going to pick up some donuts I was running late.įixed: I was going to pick up some donuts, but I was running late.Ī sentence fragment is an incomplete thought. Then she watched television until her parents came home.Ī comma splice is a type of run-on sentence in which two independent clauses are connected by only a comma. Then she went home, and then she watched television until her parents came home.įixed: Hannah went to the mall with her friends. Run-on: Hannah went to the mall with her friends then she went home then she watched television until her parents came home.įixed: Hannah went to the mall with her friends. Run-on: Before we left for vacation we took our dog to the kennel.įixed: Before we left for vacation, we took our dog to the kennel. Fix run-on sentences in a few ways: add a comma before a coordinating conjunction or after an introductory clause, and use a semicolon or period between two independent clauses. They can also be corrected by making one clause dependent:įixed: Although Sam is my friend, Melanie is also my friend.įrequently, a run-on sentence simply needs to be punctuated correctly. The glue can be a comma and a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or a conjunctive adverb with a semicolon before it and a comma after it.)įixed: Sam is my friend, and Melanie is my friend.įixed: Sam is my friend Melanie is my friend.įixed: Sam is my friend also, Melanie is my friend. (Remember: Independent clauses need glue to hold them together. + Melanie is my friend.įixed: Sam is my friend. Sam is my friend and Melanie is my friend. Run-on sentences can be corrected by separating them into two sentences, by making a compound sentence, or by making a complex sentence. A run-on sentence (or fused sentence) has two or more clauses that are not correctly connected.
