Avoiding Sentence Fragments and Run-Ons

3 necessary Parts of a Sentence

SENTENCE = 1) complete SUBJECT +

2) complete VERB +

3) COMPLETE THOUGHT

1) SUBJECT: the who or what (person, place, thing, or abstract idea/emotion) that the sentence is about
Examples: The football players won their first game.
The team was motivated by cheering fans.
The students are very loud.
I am an English teacher.
He is here.
Fishing is fun.
Love is worth waiting for!
2) VERB:
a) action verbs - show action done by or to the subject (You should be able to say can or do/did in front of an action verb.)
b) linking verbs - show a state of being, condition, status, existence of the subject
Always linking: am, is are, was, were, be, being, been ... and ... seem
Sometimes linking: become, turn, grow, seem, stay, remain, feel, taste, sound, look, appear, prove, got
c) helping (auxiliary) verbs -one or more can be used in front of action or linking verbs, creating a verb phrase, to help show different
verb tenses. There are only 23 helping verbs: am, is, are, was, were, being, been, be, have, has, had, do, does, did,
shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, can, could
Be careful! A missing helping verb can result in an incomplete verb, which is a sentence fragment.
Incomplete / fragment: We been here a long time.
Complete sentence: We have been here a long time. OR Weve been here a long time.
3) COMPLETE THOUGHT: A sentence must be able to stand alone & still make some sense, even if all details arent known.
NOTE: A subordinate clause (see below) contains a subject and verb but is NOT a complete thought unless it is attached
to a main independent clause that can stand alone as a complete thought
Incomplete thought/Fragment: He left. Because he was sick.
Complete thoughts/Sentences: He left. He was sick. He left because he was sick.

Sentence FRAGMENT happens when its incomplete but punctuated like it is a sentence. It is incomplete because it is
missing all or part of the subject OR verb OR doesnt make a complete thought that can stand alone.
CLAUSE group of related words containing a subject and verb may be or may NOT be complete thought/sentence
1) main / independent clause can stand alone as complete thought (sentence)
EXAMPLE: I cried.
2) subordinate / dependent clause CANNOT stand alone as complete thought; (FRAGMENT)
A subordinate clause must be attached to main / independent clause to avoid having a sentence fragment.
Incomplete thought/Fragment: I cried. Because I was afraid.
CORRECT:
I cried because I was afraid.

Ways to correct or avoid having sentence fragments:

1. Add a COMPLETE subject and verb.

FRAGMENT: The boy who is sitting on the bench. He is my brother.
CORRECT: The boy sitting on the bench is my brother. OR My brother is sitting on the bench.
FRAGMENT: I found my socks. Under the bed. (prepositional phrase; no subject or verb)
CORRECT: I found my socks under the bed. (correct)
2. Delete subordinating conjunction, which makes it a subordinate/dependent clause that cant stand alone.
FRAGMENT: I left before the party was over. Because I was sick.
OKAY / ACCEPTABLE I left before the party was over. I was sick.
3. Re-word with a coordinating conjunction or conjunctive adverb, instead of subordinating one.
FRAGMENT: I left before the party was over. Because I was sick. (subordinating conjunction / cant stand alone; fragment)
CORRECT: I was sick, and I left before the party was over.
(coordinating conjunction makes it two independent clauses)
CORRECT: I was sick; therefore, I left before the party was over. (conjunctive adverb makes it two independent clauses)
4. Best of all, attach the subordinate/dependent clause to an independent/main clause
that could stand alone, making a mature complex sentence.
I left before the party was over because I was sick. (OR) Because I was sick, I left before the party was over.

RUN-ON sentence -- two or more main/independent clauses (sentences) combined without correct punctuation.
REMEMBER: A run-on is when one sentence runs on into the next sentence without correct punctuation --NOT just a long sentence that runs on and on.!)

Run-on / Incorrect: Carmen loved traveling in Italy she felt Mexico was too hot. (needs period or semicolon between 2 independent clauses)
Run-on / Incorrect: The dance was fun, therefore, I stayed the entire time. (need period or semicolon, not just comma, before conjunctive adverb)
Run-on / Incorrect: She left and I cried. (needs a comma before the coordinating conjunction)
Run-on / Incorrect: The dance was fun, I stayed the entire time. (comma splice is when you use a comma alone, without conjunction)

Ways to avoid or fix a RUN-ON:

1. Use a period: Carmen loved traveling in Italy. She felt Mexico was too hot.
2. Use comma before a coordinating conjunction (,for ,and ,nor ,but ,or ,yet, ,so) that joins two independent clauses / completes sentences

Carmen loved traveling in Italy, but she felt Mexico was too hot.
3. Use a semicolon alone (only IF the two sentences/ideas are closely related):
Carmen loved traveling in Italy; she felt Mexico was too hot.
4.
Use a semicolon followed by a conjunctive adverb/transition, then a comma -- to join 2 sentences (main / independent clauses)
(; however, ; furthermore, ; therefore, ; thus, ; also, ; nevertheless, ; consequently, ...etc.)
Carmen loved traveling in Italy; however, she felt Mexico was too hot.
5.
Reword, changing one of the independent clauses:
Carmen loved traveling in Italy but felt Mexico was too hot.
(turned into one clause, with compound verb for same subject)
Although she felt Mexico was too hot, Carmen loved traveling in Italy. (created subordinate clause by adding subordinating conjunction

SENTENCE STRUCTURE (HINT: Label all subject-verb sets. How many clauses can stand alone?)
Simple sentence = 1 main/independent clause
Complex sentence = 1 main/independent clause + 1 or more subordinate/dependent clauses
Compound sentence = 2 main/independent clauses

Compound-complex sentence = 2 main/independent + 1 or more subordinate/dependent clauses