1. When a group of words is NOT a sentence!
A “crash course” in
fragments and run-ons

2. Fragments
A fragment is not quite a whole sentence because it is missing either the subject (usually a noun) or the main verb (or action word). Even if the group of words begins with a capital letter and has a punctuation mark at the end, it is still a fragment if either the subject or main verb is missing.

3. Examples of fragments
Slipping down the muddy bank and plopping into the river.
(Who is slipping and plopping? The subject is missing.)
Belinda, who came all the way from South Africa by plane.
(What about her? What did she do? The predicate – verb/action word – is missing.)

4. Belinda came all the way from South Africa by plane.
Fixing fragments
Put in the missing subject (noun) or predicate (verb) so that the sentence makes a COMPLETE SENTENCE, or take out the word that is keeping it from being a complete sentence.
A hippo in a tutu was slipping down the muddy bank and plopping into the river.
Belinda came all the way from South Africa by plane.
(remove “who”)
Belinda, who came all the way from South Africa by plane, had never seen snow before.

5. Fixing Fragments For But And Or Nor Yet So
A complete sentence cannot begin with coordinating conjunctions:
For But
And Or
Nor Yet So

6. Revising Fragments
Trade papers with a partner for peer editing fragments in your personal narrative.Underline in RED any sentence that is not a complete sentence.

7. It may rain today take your umbrella.
Run-on sentences
A run-on sentence is really two or more sentences (or independent thoughts/clauses) that run together without the proper punctuation to join them.
For example:
It may rain today take your umbrella.
At first this sentence may look like one sentence, but it’s really two separate thoughts with no punctuation to join them together.

8. Fixing run-ons
First, decide what the two separate sentences (complete thoughts) are. Where does the first sentence end, and where does the second
sentence begin?
It may rain today take your umbrella

9. Then fix the run-on sentence in a couple of ways:
Fixing run-ons (cont.)
Then fix the run-on sentence in a couple of ways:
Join the two sentences with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. (F.A.N.B.O.Y.S)
It may rain today, so take your umbrella.
( NOTE: A comma by itself is not strong enough to join the two parts together. You must use both a comma and a conjunction.)

10. Fixing run-ons (cont.)
3) Turn the run-on into two separate sentences. (Additional punctuation and capitalization are required to do this correctly.)
It may rain today. Take your umbrella.

11. Run Ons
Trade your personal narrative with a partner and Peer edit for run ons. In ORANGE, underline any run ons.