REVIEW
Writing 4
Happy Punctuation Day!
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September 24, 2014
What does a sentence need to be
complete?
Complete Sentences
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A complete sentence needs the following things:
A
subject
 A verb
 A complete thought
 Ending punctuation
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Here’s an example of a sentence fragment:
Because you wore that hat.
Did you notice how the sentence is an incomplete
thought? Because you wore that hat, what will
happen? We don’t know.
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Because you wore that hat, I will take you to lunch.
Now we know what will happen: you look really terrific
in that hat, so I’m going to treat you to lunch because of
your gifted sense of fashion. We have joined the
fragment to an independent clause; “I will take you to
lunch” works fine as a sentence on its own.
Of course another option would be:
Your hair is a mess because you wore that hat.
Now the fragment follows the dependent clause.
Another option is to get rid of “because” since that
word is causing all of the trouble:
You wore that hat. Therefore, I will take you to lunch.
Are these complete sentences?
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I run.
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Because I ate too quickly.
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In order to cash the check.
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As I lay dying.
Fragments
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Fragments are incomplete
sentences and you should
eliminate them from your
writing.
Fragments can be missing a
subject, a verb, or they won’t
express a complete thought.
They could also be missing
correct punctuation.
You can fix fragments by
adding the missing thing, or by
connecting the fragment to
another related sentence.
Fragments
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The dog at the pet
shop.
Walked slowly up the
stairs with a heavy
load on his back.
Before going to bed.
Dependent Word Fragments
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If you see a dependent
word, you should look
closely to see if the
sentence expresses a
complete thought.
Once I got my car
started.
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Dependent Words
After, although, as,
because, before, even if,
even though, if, in order
that, once, provided
that, rather than, since,
that, though, unless, until,
when, whenever, where,
wherever, whether,
while, why
Dependent Word fragments
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Dependent word
fragments can be
made into complete
sentences by
completing the
thought.
How can we complete
these thoughts?
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Once I got my car
started.
Because my mom ate
too much.
After getting my hair
cut.
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If you start a sentence
with a dependent
word, you need a
comma.
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Once I got my car
started, I went to work.
Because my mom ate
too much, she felt sick.
After getting my hair
cut, I went to an
interview.
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If the dependent word
is in the middle of the
sentence, you don’t
need a comma.
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I went to work once I
got my car started.
My mom felt sick
because she ate too
much.
I went to an interview
after getting my hair
cut.
Other Fragments
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-Ing fragments
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These fragments often start with
an –ing verb but don’t complete
the thought.
Connect to a previous sentence.
Infinitive fragments
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These fragments use an infinitive
(TO + Verb) incorrectly.
Connect to a previous sentence.
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Aunt Olivia always wears a
helmet. Worrying that a meteor
will fall on her head.
Jiggling his foot nervously, Ron
sat in the principal’s office. To
explain why he brought his
python to math class.
Afterthought fragments
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These fragments often start with
words like “for example,” “such
as,” or “including.”
Connect to a previous sentence.
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Jacob has several ways to annoy
his instructors. Such as rolling his
eyes, smirking, or playing on his
phone.
Practice
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Before going to the
supermarket to buy groceries.
Richie loves to walk his
friends’ dogs at the park. For
example, Kim’s Labrador or
Gary’s bulldog.
Phillip left work early. To
memorize the vocabulary that
his Spanish midterm would
test the next day.
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Run-‐on sentences can be easy to fix, but hard to spot. The
reason for the difficulty is that usually we can figure out
what the writer intended to say. For example:
I like to eat Henry likes to cook.
Surely you could figure out what was meant in this sentence.
But just for a second didn’t you think the sentence said, “I like
to eat Henry?” Then your brain unscrambled it. Your job is to
make reading as clear and effortless and possible, and run‐ons make extra work for your reader.
To identify a run-on, look for a place where a pause occurs
but no punctuation is present to indicate that pause (it may
help to read your writing out loud).
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However, be careful that you don’t create another problem called a comma splice.
A comma alone cannot be used to join two sentences together:
Incorrect: I like to eat, Henry like to cook.
There are three ways to fix run-ons and comma splices. The first would be to split
the run-on or comma splice into two sentences by adding a period.
I like to eat. Henry likes to cook.
The second method involves adding a comma and a coordinating conjunction: for,
and, not, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS). However, you need to ensure that you use the
right conjunction for what you want to write.
I like to eat, and Henry likes to cook. (Both of you enjoy doing different activities)
I like to eat, but Henry likes to cook. (Henry likes cooking more than eating)
I like to eat, so Henry likes to cook. (Henry cooks because you appreciate his food)
You may also use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb: therefore, nevertheless,
otherwise, etc. Just like with conjunctions, you need to select the appropriate
conjunctive adverb that means precisely what you want.
I like to eat; therefore, Henry likes to cook
Run-Ons and Comma Splices
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Run-Ons and Comma
splices don’t have proper
punctuation. They combine
what could be two
complete thoughts into one
sentence.
Run-On Example: My best
friend rides his motorcycle
to work I take the bus.
Comma Splice Example:
Cheese cake is delicious,
desserts are fattening.
Why is this a problem?
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If sentences go on
forever, it will be
difficult to comprehend
what it is you are
trying to convey.
On the GED test, you
will need to find and
correct run-ons and
comma splices.
Fixing Run-Ons and Comma Splices
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There are three main ways to fix
Run-Ons and Comma Splices:
1. Separate the complete
thoughts with a period and a
capital letter.
2. Use one of the FANBOYS (for,
and, nor, but, or, yet, so) and a
comma to join the ideas together.
3. Use a semicolon to separate
two related ideas.
Fix this three ways:
My favorite food is pizza it is
greasy.
Practice: Use the three methods on
these Run-Ons and Comma Splices
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When Matt shaved his head, his mother
worried that he had joined a cult the real
reason for the bald head, however, was
that Matt could get more attention and
sympathy from girls who thought he was
sick with a dread disease.
At the back of the classroom, Nina sat
with her arms crossed, glaring at her
teacher, Mr. Beane, her body language
indicated that English was her least
favorite subject.
My cat Buster loves to nap on warm
appliances when he sleeps on top of the
television, his tail swipes the screen like a
windshield wiper.
Three types of sentences
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There are three basic
types of sentences in
English:
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The simple sentence
The compound sentence
The complex sentence
When writing, you should
try to employ a mixture of
these sentences, so that
you can better express
your ideas.
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Simple: I ate bacon and
eggs.
Compound: I ate bacon
and eggs, so I was unable
to run after breakfast.
Complex: After eating
bacon and eggs, I
watched sports on TV for
three hours.
Types of Sentences
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Simple Sentences
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Simple sentences have
one main clause.
Compound Sentences
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Compound sentences
combine two
independent clauses with
a comma and one of the
FANBOYS.
Complex Sentences
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Complex sentences use a
dependent clause and a
comma.
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Simple: I ate bacon and
eggs.
Compound: I ate bacon
and eggs, so I was
unable to run after
breakfast.
Complex: After eating
bacon and eggs, I
watched sports on TV
for three hours.
Write a paragraph with a mixture of simple,
compound, and complex sentences.
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1. Identify a topic
2. Create a topic
sentence
3. Use a combination
of sentence types in
your paragraph.
4. Edit