Academic Guides: Grammar and Mechanics: Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments (2024)

FAQs

What are sentences sentence fragments and run-on sentences? ›

Sentence fragments usually lack either main verb or subject (or both). If you're not sure if a sentence is a fragment, check that it has at least one main verb and subject. Run-on sentences consist of at least two independent clauses that are connected in one sentence without proper punctuation.

Sentence fragments are usually missing a subject or verb, or they do not express a complete thought. While it may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, a fragment cannot stand on its own.

Grammarly helps catch common mistakes with sentence structure—like run-on sentences, sentence fragments, passive voice, and more. The Grammarly browser extension can also improve your sentences in your emails.

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete sentences) are connected improperly. Example: I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time. There are two complete sentences in the above example: Sentence 1: I love to write papers.

They lack a subject or a verb or both, or do not include all the phrases necessary to make a complete idea. For example: Fragment. Missing Element. The tall tree, the one that I loved to climb.

A run-on sentence occurs when two independent clauses run together without proper punctuation or appropriate conjunctions. Incorrect: Raffi sings upbeat children's songs he is an excellent musician.

A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It cannot stand alone because it is not an independent clause. It either lacks a subject, a complete verb (or both), or it might be a complete sentence but because it begins with a subordinating word (such as “when” or “because”) it does not express a complete thought.

A sentence fragment is a sentence that is missing either its subject or its main verb. Some sentence fragments occur as the result of simple typographical errors or omission of words. They can often be avoided with careful proofreading.

How do I avoid writing fragmented sentences? The first tip I have is to avoid starting sentences with words or phrases that are used to refer to something else. Some very common ones are 'which', 'who', 'like', and 'such as'. All of these words are used to refer to things mentioned earlier on in a sentence.

Why is it grammatically incorrect to write a sentence fragment? ›

Put simply, a sentence fragment is a clause that falls short of a complete because it is missing one of three critical components: a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.

One of the best ways to check your sentence structure is to read it out loud. If you get lost partway through or find yourself tripping over certain phrases, you can try rewriting your sentence or breaking it into simpler ones.

If the independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation between them, like a semicolon, a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point, this is a definite indicator that it is a run-on sentence.

A run-on sentence is two or more sentences that have been incorrectly written as one sentence. The sentences are run together with no punctuation or only a comma between them, like these examples: Saturn is the second largest planet, its rings are spectacular.

The five types of sentence fragments are the absence of subject, absence of verb, uncompleted thought, incomplete verb, and complex errors. The questionnaire demonstrate that the incomplete knowledge of English is the source of student'serrors. This type of errors is known as Intralingual errors.

run verb (MOVE FAST)

He can run very fast. He ran away when I tried to pick him up. [ + to do sth ] We had to run to catch up with him. I run about three miles every morning.