Sentence Fragments
Objective: Sentence fragments are a novice error
(see the Holistic Scoring Guide) that should be
eliminated from most writing.
NOTE: A sentence has a subject, a verb and
expresses a complete thought. If you leave out one
of these elements and punctuate as if it were a
whole sentence, you create a sentence fragment.
Fragments are confusing because the reader has to
puzzle out the missing information.
Types of fragments:
 Photographed families who were
victims of the Great Depression.
(missing subject)
 After the storm, the barn roof pieces in
the yard. (missing verb)
 We observing the bacteria through a
microscope. (missing helping verb)
 When she won three medals in track.
(missing complete thought)
 Making origami swans out of blue and
green paper. (missing subject and verb)
Step 1: Trade papers with a partner and hunt for
pesky fragments.
Step 2: Highlight or underline any group of words
that you think might be a fragment.
Step 3: Take back your draft and correct any
fragments by adding words or sentence combining.
Run-On Sentences
Objective: Eliminate run-on sentences.
NOTE: A run-on is two complete sentences run
together as if they were one sentence.
Step 1: Go through your own or a partner’s draft
and mark or circle run-on sentences with a colored
pencil.
Step 2: Revise your own draft to eliminate run-ons.
There are five ways to correct run-on sentences:
 Separate the run-on into two simple
sentences.
 Create a compound sentence by
connecting the two sentences with a
comma and a coordinate conjunction—
FANBOYS
 Connect the two sentences with a
semicolon—a good method if they are
both short.
 Connect the two sentences with a
semicolon and a conjunctive adverb,
like “meanwhile.”
 Create a complex sentence by
combining the two sentences turning
one of them into a dependent clause.
PRACTICE SENTENCE: Try these
methods on the following run-on sentence:
We struggled to set up the tent the
mosquitoes ate us alive.