1. Your students already know about clausal boundaries.
But they don’t know that they know that.

2. It is true that…
Sentence Tester 1:
(Declarative) Sentence Completeness
Don’t they?
Sentence Tester 2:
Tag Question
Frogs catch flies.
Aren’t they?
With their sticky tongues.
Frogs are amphibeans.
Didn’t it?
This frog started life in the water as a tadpole.
Don’t I?
Have I?
I like frogs.
I have never, to my knowledge, eaten a fly.

3. (Declarative) Sentence Completeness
Sentence Tester 3: Yes/No Question Transformation
Frogs catch flies.
Do frogs catch flies?
Are frogs amphibeans?
Did this frog start life as a tadpole?
Is that an interesting fact?
Do I like frogs?
Have I ever, to my knowledge,
eaten a fly?
With their sticky tongues.
Frogs are amphibeans.
This frog started life in the water as a tadpole.
That’s an interesting fact.
I like frogs.
I have never, to my knowledge, eaten a fly.

4. These mental prompts bring unconscious knowledge of clausal boundaries
to the surface, so that we may create correctly punctuated
complete sentences.
But first:
What’s wrong with “complete thought” as a definition of a sentence?
What’s wrong with “subject + predicate” as a definition of a sentence?

5. First let’s work on fragments:
Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point
It is true that…
Children like Girl Scout cookies.
It is true that…
Like Thin Mints, Tagalogs, Do-Si-Dos, and, most
of all, those ones with the hole in the middle, coconut,
and chocolate stripes.

6. Which fragment in the pair would your students be more likely to write?
a. Tyler ended up cleaning up his room. Which he doesn’t like.
b. Tyler ended up cleaning up his room which he. Doesn’t like.
2. a. The soldiers marched straight ahead. Into an ambush.
b. The soldiers marched straight ahead into. An ambush.
3. a. Arthur missed an easy surprise quiz. Because he skipped class.
b. Arthur missed an easy surprise quiz because. He skipped class.
4. a. It soon became very obvious. That the train wasn’t going to Chicago.
b. It soon became very obvious that the train. Wasn’t going to Chicago.

34. Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point
Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices
Example 1: Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000.
a. Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000, isn’t he?
b. Is your next-door neighbor going to sell his car for $10,000?

35. Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point
Example 2: Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped open the cellophane wrapper
on the package.
Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped open the cellophane wrapper on the package, didn’t she?
b. Did Claudia, who couldn’t wait, rip open the cellophane wrapper on
the package?

36. Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point
Part One: Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices
Example 3: For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles
every day.
For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles every
day, haven’t they?
b. For the past six months, have Lily and Sam run five miles every day?

37. Declarative Sentences Only Beyond This Point
Part One: Treating Run-ons and Comma Splices
Example 4: Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each.
a. Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each, won’t they?
b. Will Ed and his cousin buy two tickets each?

38. How many “sentences” do you really have?
Your next-door neighbor is going to sell his car for $10,000 he should sell it
for $8,000.
Claudia, who couldn’t wait, ripped the cellophane wrapper off the package the
icing of the cake came off with it.
For the past six months, Lily and Sam have run five miles every
day they really want to win the city championship badly.
Ed and his cousin will buy two tickets each Hank will buy six.
You weren’t in class for a whole month it isn’t fair.

39. Common Hitching Devices
Coordinating
Conjunctions
Subordinating
Conjunctions
As, although, after
While, when
Until
Because, before If
AAAWWUBBI
Can hitch up to an
independent clause,
creating a subordinate
(dependent) clause,
forming
complex sentence.
Can appear after
main clause (no comma)
or before main clause
(needs a comma)
Relative Pronouns
Which
Who
That
Can attach to an
independent clause to
create a complex
sentence.
Warning: Many
sentence fragments
begin with these
words. Usually, you
must hitch these
words and the clauses
that they introduce to
your previous sentence.
Note: No comma is to be
used with that.
Conjunctive Adverbs
However
Moreover
Therefore
Furthermore
Can move within
own clause;
Requires commas
on both sides
Warning: If you
wish to use these
to join clauses, you
must use a semicolon.
And
But So
Or/nor
Can join two independent
clauses to make a
compound sentence.
Warning: You must use
a comma with these
when they join
independent clauses.
You may use a
semicolon instead of
a coordinating conjunction
to join two independent
clauses.