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a sentence, but it just can’t make it. It’s
missing something.
Often, it’s missing a verb or
part of a verb string:
John working extra hard on
his hook shot lately.
Here, for instance, we’re missing an
auxiliary — has been, in this case,
probably — that would complete the
verb string and the sentence.
Incomplete V erb, Pa rt
Two
A sentence fragment tries its best to be a sentence,
but it just can’t make it. It’s missing something.
Often, it’s missing a verb or
part of a verb string:
Spending hours every day after
school and even on weekends.
This time we’re missing a whole verb.
“Spending” is a participle wanting to modify
something, but there is no subjectverb
relationship within the sentence.
Avoiding S entence
Fr agme nts
Sometimes a sentence fragment can give you a
great deal of information, but it’s still not a
complete sentence:
After the coach encouraged him so
much last year and he seemed to
improve with each passing game.
Here we have a subjectverb relationship —
in fact, we have two of them — but the
entire clause is subordinated by the
dependent word after. We have no
independent clause.
Avoiding S entence
Fr agme nts
Be alert for strings of prepositional phrases that
never get around to establishing a subjectverb
relationship:
Immediately after the founding
of the college and during those
early years as the predominant
educational institution in the
Philippines.
Avoiding Run-on Sentences
The length of a sentence
has nothing to do with
whether or not a sentence
is considered a runon. A
runon sentence is one in
which two clauses have
been connected
incorrectly.
Avoiding Run-on Sentences
Let’s think of an independent clause as an independently
operated train headed west . . .
getting connected to another train headed east.
Some students think they can study for
an important exam by “cramming” all
night, they are probably wrong.
Avoiding Run-on Sentences
Some students think they can study for an important exam by
“cramming” all night, they are probably wrong.
There are several ways to fix a
comma splice. . . .
Avoiding Run-on Sentences
1. We can insert a period and start a new sentence.
Some students think they can study for an important exam by
“cramming” all night. They are probably wrong.
2. We can insert a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.
Some students think they can study for an important exam by
“cramming” all night, but they are probably wrong.
3. We can use a semicolon.
Some students think they can study for an important
exam by “cramming” all night; they are probably wrong.