Sentence fragment

COMMON Run-on sentences

WRITING Vague pronoun reference

MISTAKES Wrong word usage

Non-parallel structure
SENTENCE FRAGMENT
 Definition

 A fragmented sentence is a sentence that cannot stand on its own, since it

is not a complete sentence.
Subject
A fragmented sentence does not have
A sentence does not have
A fragmented Verb
A fragmented
sentence does
not have
Subject+Verb

Complete
thought
A fragmented sentence lacks subject

 Ex: Shows no improvement in your efficiency.

The evaluation shows no improvement in your efficiency.

 Ex: Gave many reasons but no logical ones.

Our boss gave many reasons but no logical ones.

 A fragmented sentence lacks verb

 Ex: Clothes and shoes scattered around the room.

Clothes and shoes were scattered around the room.

 Ex: She playing tennis with her friends.

She is playing tennis with her friends.

A fragmented sentence lacks subject+verb

 Ex: A time of wonder and amazement.

That was a time of wonder and amazement.

 Ex: Showing her award and gloating.

Rose was showing her award and gloating.

A fragmented sentence does not have
complete thought

 Ex: Because it was raining.

We canceled the picnic because it was raining.

 Ex: Worrying that she would be robbed.


She locked the car, worrying that she would be robbed.
 Exercise: Read these sentences below and find
out the type of sentence fragment. Then correct
these sentences.
1. After I finish the project.
 (Incomplete thought) I will get a reward after I finish the project.
2. The answer to the question totally correct.
 ( Lacking verb) The answer to the question is totally correct.
3. Discovered the cure for the disease.
 (Lacking subject) The researcher discovered the cure for the disease.
4. The elected official for our district at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
 (Lacking verb) The elected official for our district was at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
5. Running down the lane and into the forest.
 (Lacking subject + verb) The moose is running down the lane and into the forest.
6. To explain why that happened.
 (Incomplete thought) He neglected to explain why that happened.
RUN-ON SENTENCES
Run – On Sentences

Include more than one simple sentence joined

together improperly.
 Run - On Sentences

Example:
I attended the conference last July I also was at the symposium in October.

Two complete sentences with no punctuation.

I attended the conference last July, I also was at the symposium in October.

Comma is insufficient to combine independent clauses

(Comma splice)
 Run – On Sentences

Revision Example
Use semicolon or period:
 I attended the conference last July. I also was at the symposium in October.
 I attended the conference last July; I also was at the symposium in October.

Use comma with conjunctional words:

 I attended the conference last July, and I also was at the symposium in October.

Conjunctional words: For, And, Nor, But, Or, So,…..

Many run-on sentences can easily be revised to
form two simple sentences or a complex sentence

Ex: Employee morale has a big impact on productivity, because job

satisfaction plays an important role in turnover, managers should value
the employees’ emotional needs.

Unclear mixture
 Revision Example

 Employee morale has a big impact on productivity because job satisfaction plays an
important role in turnover. Managers should value the employees’ emotional needs.

 Employee morale has a big impact on productivity; because job satisfaction plays an
important role in turnover, managers should value the employees’ emotional needs.

 Employee morale has a big impact on productivity, and job satisfaction plays an
important role in turnover, so managers should value the employees’ emotional
needs.
 Run-On Sentences Exercise

Why I Had to Get Rid of the Monster

Although I am a dog-lover by nature, I recently had to give away my three-month-old retriever, Plato. I had
several good reasons for doing so. A few months ago I picked up the dog at the Humane Society as a
Christmas gift for my girlfriend. Alas, she dumped me on Christmas Eve. I was left to console myself by
caring for the dog. That's when my true misery began. For one thing, Plato was not housebroken. Throughout
the apartment he left little mementos, staining rugs and furniture and fouling the air, he would burrow under
any newspapers I laid down for him. To make matters worse, his untamed potty habits were supported by an
insatiable appetite. Not content with a sack of Kibbles 'n Bits every day, he would also gnaw at the couch
and shred clothes, sheets, and blankets, one night he chewed up a friend's new pair of clogs. Finally, Plato
simply wasn't happy being cooped up by himself in a small apartment. Whenever I left, he would begin
whimpering, and that soon turned into furious barking. As a result, my neighbors were threatening to murder
both me and the "monster," as they took to calling him. So, after six weeks of life with Plato, I gave him
away to my uncle in Baxley. Fortunately, Uncle Jerry is quite accustomed to animal feed, waste, noise, and
destruction.
 Why I Had to Get Rid of the Monster

Although I am a dog-lover by nature, I recently had to give away my three-month-old retriever, Plato. I
had several good reasons for doing so. A few months ago I picked up the dog at the Humane Society as a
Christmas gift for my girlfriend. Alas, when she dumped me on Christmas Eve, I was left to console
myself by caring for the dog. That's when my true misery began. For one thing, Plato was not
housebroken. Throughout the apartment he left little mementos, staining rugs and furniture and fouling
the air. He would burrow under any newspapers I laid down for him. To make matters worse, his untamed
potty habits were supported by an insatiable appetite. Not content with a sack of Kibbles 'n Bits every day,
he would also gnaw at the couch and shred clothes, sheets, and blankets. One night he chewed up a
friend's new pair of clogs. Finally, Plato simply wasn't happy being cooped up by himself in a small
apartment. Whenever I left, he would begin whimpering, and that soon turned into furious barking. As a
result, my neighbors were threatening to murder both me and the "monster," as they took to calling him.
So, after six weeks of life with Plato, I gave him away to my uncle in Baxley. Fortunately, Uncle Jerry is
quite accustomed to animal feed, waste, noise, and destruction.
VAGUE (FAULTY) PRONOUN
REFERENCE EXAMPLES AND
DENIFITIONS

HOW TO FIX IT IN YOUR

WRITING?

EXERCISES
 EXAMPLES AND DEFINITIONS

 A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun.
Ex: David invited Jane to attend the conference. He invited her to be the keynote
speaker.
 A pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun coming before
the pronoun. This noun is called the pronoun’s antecedent.
Ex: Take the key and give it to me.
 ERROR 1: TOO MANY ANTECEDENTS

Ex:
 Jane yelled at Sarah. She started crying.
Substitute a noun for the pronoun:
Jane yelled at Sarah. Sarah started crying.
 The supervisors told the workers that they would receive a bonus.
Rephrase the sentence:
The supervisors complimented the workers on receiving a bonus.
 ERROR 2: HIDDEN ANTECEDENTS

Ex:
 The candy dish was served, but we were tired of eating it anyway.
Substitute a noun for a pronoun ‘’it’’:
The candy dish was served, but we were tired of eating candy anyway.
 Mark called Mary’s house all day, but she never answered the phone.
Change the pronoun:
Mark called Mary’s house all day, but Mary never answered the phone.
 ERROR 3: NO ANTECEDENT AT ALL

Ex:
 The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.
Change the pronoun:
The witness called the television station, but the reporters didn’t answer.
 Paul was an artist, but he never sold any of them.
Add a noun:
Paul was an artist, but he never sold any of his paintings.
 COMMON VAGUE PRONOUNS: this, that,
which, it, they

Ex:
 The student’s paper showed little revision between drafts. This lowered his grade.
Add a noun after this:
The student’s paper showed little revision between drafts, and this problem
lowered his grade.
 Jessie was late to class for the third day in a row, which worried the teacher.
Jessie was late to class for the third day in a row, a problem which worried the
teacher.
 EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Correct the vague pronoun reference by rewrite the following sentences
1.The manager told us it was not for sale
The manager told us this product was not for sale.
2.As soon as Dean gets paid, he spends it.
As soon as Dean gets paid, he spends the money.
3.John and Bill played golf yesterday. By the end of the round, he had a terrible
sunburn.
John and Bill played golf yesterday. By the end of the round, Bill had a terrible
sunburn.
 4.Steven tripped on the ice and broke his wrist and his ankle. He knew this would
mean the end of his hockey season.
Steven tripped on the ice and broke his wrist and his ankle. He knew this accident
would mean the end of his hockey season
5.When Saral heard that school would open late, she said: ‘’ They never give us a
day of for snow”.
When Saral heard that school would open late, she said: ‘’ The principles never give
us a day of for snow”.
6. Lily’s sister threw her a birthday party and gave her a new tennis racket. Lily
thought this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.
Lily’s sister threw her a birthday party and gave her a new tennis racket. Lily
thought this event was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.
 Exercise 2: Discover and correct the
mistakes

1. My grandmother loves making bread and cakes, and is

always surprised that the rest of my family never do any
baking. So my grandmother and my mother decided they’d
take me and my younger sister on a course, and she is leader,
so that we could all find out how to make bread- and pizza,
our favourite food. We booked our places, and set off for
Oakton Farm in the countryside.
.
1 My grandmother loves making bread and cakes,
and is always surprised that the rest of my family
never do any baking. So my grandmother and my
mother decided they’d take me and my younger
sister on a course, and she is leader, so that we
could all find out how to make bread- and pizza, our
favourite food. We booked our places, and set off
for Oakton Farm in the countryside
2. Did you know that cinema is more than 100 years old?
Moving pictures were invented by the brothers Louis and
Auguste Lumiere. He attended La Martiniere, the largest
technical school in Lyon. The first showing of a moving picture or
’movie’ took place in a cinema in Paris on 28th December 1895.
On that day, the Lumiere brothers showed movies using their
newly- invented machine, called the Cinematographe. The
audience saw a funny film in which the gardeners spilt a lot of
water on themselves; they felt embrassed. Everyone really loved
it!
2. Did you know that cinema is more than 100 years
old? Moving pictures were invented by the brothers
Louis and Auguste Lumiere. He attended La Martiniere,
the largest technical school in Lyon. The first showing of
a moving picture or ’movie’ took place in a cinema in
Paris on 28th December 1895. On that day, the Lumiere
brothers showed movies using their newly- invented
machine, called the Cinematographe. The audience
saw a funny film in which the gardeners spilt a lot of
water on themselves; they felt embrassed. Everyone
really loved it!
WRONG WORD USAGE
Misspelling words

Begining Beginning

Neccessary Necessary

Truely Truly

Writting Writing

Dissapear Disappear
Words have similar spelling but different meanings

Affect
Effect

Noun Verb

A result of an influence
To influence or make a difference to

Ex: That movie had a great effect on Ex: That movie affected me greatly.
me.
Words have similar meanings but different using
Trouble Problem Issue
uncountable noun countable noun, is the countable noun, is
general word more diplomatic and
less negative

Negative feeling when Solution Disagreement,

bad things happen difficult decisions
Ex: If you have Ex: I have a problem Ex: There are many
trouble understanding with my phone. political issues in
the report, give me a many countries.
call.
 Wrong situation

 Mike wanted to go to the baseball game; furthermore, he had to work that night.
 Mike wanted to go to the baseball game; however, he had to work that night.
Furthermore Adding similar information or ideas
However Contradicting something that has been said previously
Wrong form of word

A word can be used in different ways in a sentence depending on

its purpose.
Ex:
 But certain types of businesses will continue to grow to an extend,
he thinks.
 But certain types of businesses will continue to grow to an extent,
he thinks.
Extend Verb
Extent Noun
 Exercise: Fill in the blanks with TROUBLE,
PROBLEM or ISSUE.

 issues
1/ She usually writes about environmental _________.
 problem of funding themselves while they are studying.
2/ Most students face the _________
 3/ She’s always on a diet – She has _________
issue about food.
 4/ He got into _________
trouble for not doing his homework.
 5/ Unemployment is a very real _________
problem for graduates now.
 6/ They have ________
trouble getting staffs.
 7/ The _________
issue of birth control was touched on, but we need to examine it in more detail.
 8/ Stop worrying about their marriage – It isn’t your _________.
problem
NON-PARRALEL
STRUCTURE
Parallel structure
 Non-parallel structure

 To find the kayak, carry it to the beach and rowing it across the ocean is a feat.

 Yesterday, Jimmy went swimming, did exercise and coming home.

 Definition (Parallel structure)

Phrases
Two Same
or grammatical Sentence
More structure
Clauses
Correlative Conjunctions

 Both… and
 Not only… but also The car is not only fast but also safe.
 Not… but
 Either… or You must either stay at home or go with us.
 Neither… nor
 Rather… than Berry would rather go skiing than fishing.
 Whether… or
 If… then
 Notes

 Prepositions should be repeated when prepositional phrases are used in sentences:

Ex: I am making a stew with beef, with carrots, and with onions.

 However, if sentence has three or more same prepositions, we can omit them except the
preposition of the first element.
Ex: I am making a stew with beef, carrots and onions.
 In case each element of the sentence has different prepositions, we have to repeat the suitable
preposition of each one.
Ex: The baby flung spaghetti strands on the walls, on the counters, and under the table.
 Exercise 1: Correct any errors in parallel
structure in the following sentences.

1. The investment firm must choose to either 1. The investment firm must choose to either
disclose its clients to the SEC or to immediately disclose its clients to the SEC or immediately
return the funds to those clients. return the funds to those clients.

2. Before crashing his car, the defendant smoked two 2. Before crashing his car, the defendant smoked
marijuana cigarettes, drank sixteen ounces of two marijuana cigarettes, drank sixteen ounces of
bourbon, and was swallowing three Valium pills. bourbon, and swallowed three Valium pills.

3. To legally register to vote, a person must have 3. To legally register to vote, a person must have
resided in the state for thirty days, be a United States resided in the state for thirty days, be a United
citizen, and committed no felony. States citizen, and have committed no felony.
 Exercise 2: Read the following passage. Correct
any errors in parallelism that you find.
“The Bone Wars” refers to a period of intense fossil speculation and discovery in American history (1872–
1892). The wars were marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles
Marsh. At one time, Edward and Marsh were amicable: they even named species after each other. Over time,
however, their relationship soured, likely due in part to their strong personalities. Cope was known to be
pugnacious and possessed a quick temper. Marsh was slower, more methodical, and introverted. Eventually,
each of the two paleontologists would resort to underhanded methods to try to out-compete the other in the
field, resorting to bribery, theft, and destroying bones.
By the end of the Bone Wars, both Cope and Marsh were financially and socially ruined by their attempts to
disgrace each other, but their contributions to science and the field of paleontology were massive. Several of
Cope’s and Marsh’s discoveries are the most well-known of dinosaurs: Triceratops, Allosaurus, Diplodocus,
and Stegosaurus. Their cumulative discoveries defined the then-emerging field of paleontology. Before
Cope’s and Marsh’s discoveries, there were only nine named species of dinosaur in North America. Judging
by pure numbers, Marsh “won” the Bone Wars: Cope discovered a total of 56 new dinosaur species, but
Marsh had found 80.
 Exercise 2: Read the following passage.
Correct any errors in parallelism that you find.

 “The Bone Wars” refers to a period of intense fossil speculation and discovery
in American history (1872–1892). The wars were marked by a heated rivalry
between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. At one time,
Cope and
Edward andMarsh
Marsh were amicable: they even named species after each other. Over
time, however, their relationship soured, likely due in part to their strong
personalities. Cope was known totobe bepugnacious
pugnacious and andpossess
possessed a quick temper.
slower, more
Marsh was slower, moremethodical,
methodical,andandmoreintroverted.
introverted Eventually, each of the two
paleontologists would resort to underhanded methods to try to out-compete the
bribery, theft,
other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and
and the destruction
destroying of bones
bones.
 Exercise 2: Read the following passage. Correct
any errors in parallelism that you find.

By the end of the Bone Wars, both Cope and Marsh were financially and socially ruined
by their attempts to disgrace each other, but their contributions to science and the field of
paleontology were massive. Several of Cope’s and Marsh’s discoveries are the most well-
known of dinosaurs: Triceratops, Allosaurus, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus. Their
cumulative discoveries defined the then-emerging field of paleontology. Before Cope’s
and Marsh’s discoveries, there were only nine named species of dinosaur in North
America. Judging by pure numbers, Marsh “won” the Bone Wars: Cope discovered a total
of 56 new dinosaur species, but Marsh had found 80.
discovered