Download Frag Run-on Review

FRAGMENTS & RUN-ONS
Review
FRAGMENTS
All complete sentences (known as independent
clauses) must have a subject and a predicate (verb
phrase). These tell who or what is doing an action.
Fragments are missing either a subject or a verb.
Don’t overthink this—usually you know when a
sentence just “doesn’t make sense” because it is
missing some key information.
Look at the following examples of FRAGMENTS:
FRAGMENTS
1.
A colorful rainbow in the sky
after it rains. (What about the rainbow?
Noun phrase only.)
2.
The person who wrote that
letter to the editor. (What about him?
Noun phrase only.)
3.
Asked whether I could have
another helping of the rice and
beans. (Who asked? Verb phrase only.)
FRAGMENTS
1.
The man wearing the blue jacket
and standing on the front steps of
the building. (What about him? Noun phrase
only.)
2.
Because Kevin, Heather, and
Jimmy worked hard on that
presentation. (Subordinate clause—must
be attached to an independent clause)
3.
After the hot-air balloon rose up
into the morning sky and sailed
across the prairie (What happened after?
Another subordinate clause).
RUN-ONS
Run-on sentences join together two independent
clauses WITHOUT the proper links. Sentences can
be properly joined by:
A. Using a FANBOYS (coordinating conjunction):
B. Using a semicolon (takes the place of a
FANBOYS):
C. Making one sentence SUBORDINATE to the
other and linking with:
a subordinating conjunction (because, since…)
B. a relative pronoun (that, which, who, whose…)
C. a pronoun that introduces a noun clause
(whomever, whether, how…)
A.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Go through the following
20 sentences, which are
similar to those you had
on the quiz.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
In all of American
literature, no other figure
is quite like Jack London.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
Delete all of the prepositional phrases first to help you identify
the subject and verb phrase so you know it has both. This
sentence is complete and can stand by itself.
In all of American
literature, no other figure
is quite like Jack London.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Jack London epitomizes
the spirit of rugged youth
and manly adventure,
along with the will to
succeed in the face of
terrific adversity.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
The subject and verb appear at the start of the sentence: Jack
“London + epitomizes” two things: the spirit and the will. “Along
with” is just a fancy “and.” Notice that when the prepositional
phrases are eliminated, the key elements are exposed. The
phrase “to succeed” is an infinitive—the word “to” followed by a
verb. Infinitives will never be the verb phrase of a sentence and
can be eliminated with the prepositional phrases.
Jack London epitomizes the spirit of
rugged youth and manly adventure,
along with the will to succeed in the
face of terrific adversity.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
The era of Horatio Alger
and the self-made man,
of Andrew Carnegie and
the captains of industry,
of Teddy Roosevelt and
his Rough Riders.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
This fragment simply lists a noun phrase, without a verb.
The noun phrase includes a series of prepositional
phrases.
The era of Horatio Alger and the
self-made man, of Andrew
Carnegie and the captains of
industry, of Teddy Roosevelt and
his Rough Riders.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Jack London never knew
his true father, William
Henry Chancey
hightailed it out of
Oakland before Jack was
born.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
RUN-ON
Two complete clauses are joined here with just a comma.
This is called a comma splice. The only way to join
independent clauses are with FANBOYS or semicolons;
you can also just separate them into two sentences. The
clause “before Jack was born” is a subordinate clause that
tells “when” Chancey hightailed it.
Jack London never knew his true
father, William Henry Chancey
hightailed it out of Oakland
before Jack was born.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
His mother, Flora
Wellman, a selfproclaimed psychic,
married to a Civil War
veteran, John London.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
This sentence is missing a verb. The words that follow
“mother” are all appositives, which tell more information
about the noun. The mother is never given an action.
“Married to a Civil War veteran” is a participial phrase and
is NOT the verb of the sentence. It could become the main
verb if it is changed to “His mother…married a Civil War
veteran.”
His mother, Flora Wellman, a
self-proclaimed psychic, married
to a Civil War veteran, John
London.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
During his early years,
London’s family moved
several times; his mother
and stepfather were
constantly struggling to
make ends meet.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
Deleting the prepositional phrase and the infinitive phrase,
you are left with two simple sentences linked with a semicolon (in other words, a compound sentence).
During his early years, London’s
family moved several times; his
mother and stepfather were
constantly struggling to make
ends meet.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
London was a voracious
reader, he found a world
of books that gave him
his education.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
RUN-ON
Here is a comma splice—two sentences being linked with
just a comma. You would need to add a FANBOYS after
the comma, use a semicolon, or make two sentences. The
second independent clause (he found…) also contains a
subordinate clause (that gave him…).
London was a voracious reader,
he found a world of books that
gave him his education.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
By age eleven, had a
regular newspaper route
and was the helper on an
ice cream wagon.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
This sentence is missing a subject (who had a newspaper
route and was a helper?)
By age eleven, had a regular
newspaper route and was the
helper on an ice cream wagon.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
After school he found
time to set up pins at the
local bowling alley, and
he swept out saloons to
earn money.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
You can eliminate the prepositional phrases (“after school”
and “at the local bowling alley) and the infinitive phrases
(“to set up pins” and “to earn money”). What is left is a
compound sentence: “he found” and “he swept.”
After school he found time to set
up pins at the local bowling alley,
and he swept out saloons to earn
money.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
When he finished
grammar school at age
fourteen, started working
eighteen hours a day in a
cannery stuffing pickles
into jars for ten cents an
hour.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
This fragment starts with a subordinate clause that cannot stand
on its own, so we are looking for a subject-verb pair that can
stand alone. Once we take out the participial phrases (“working
eighteen hours a day in a cannery” and “stuffing pickles into jars
for ten cents an hour”) and their related prepositional phrases,
we are left with only a verb “started.” This sentence needs a
subject.
When he finished grammar school at
age fourteen, started working
eighteen hours a day in a cannery
stuffing pickles into jars for ten cents
an hour.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Storing away memories
that he would use later in
his books.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
The participial phrase (“storing…”) can be eliminated,
which leaves only a subordinate clause (“that he…”). This
sentence is missing both a subject and a verb in an
independent clause.
Storing away memories that he
would use later in his books.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
In 1893, at seventeen,
London signed on with a
sailing vessel, the Sophia
Sutherland, bound for
the Bering Sea off the
coast of Japan.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
After deleting the prepositional phrases and the appositive
(“bound for…” that gives more information about the
Sophia Sutherland), you are left with a simple sentence
“London signed on.”
In 1893, at seventeen, London
signed on with a sailing vessel,
the Sophia Sutherland, bound for
the Bering Sea off the coast of
Japan.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
The seven-month voyage
resulted in his first
literary success, a story
he wrote while working
ten-hour days in a jute
mill.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
The subject-verb pair has an appositive (“a story he
wrote….mill”) that renames and describes the “success.”
Appositives cannot stand on their own; they are noun
phrases and clauses that give more information about the
nouns that precede them.
The seven-month voyage resulted
in his first literary success, a
story he wrote while working tenhour days in a jute mill.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Because London heard
that gold had been
discovered in Canada in
1897, like thousands of
young men.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
All you have here are two subordinate clauses (“because
London… “ and “that gold…”) followed by two
prepositional phrases. You need both a subject and a verb
in an independent clause.
Because London heard that gold
had been discovered in Canada in
1897, like thousands of young
men.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
London’s brother-in-law
mortgaged his house to
buy needed provisions for
both of them to travel to
the Klondike they arrived
in Juneau, Alaska in
August.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
RUN-ON
The first independent clause (“brother-in-law mortgaged”) is
followed by two infinitive clauses (“to buy…” and “to travel…”). A
separate independent clause (“they arrived”) follows, but no
linking words are used to tie these two sentences together.
London’s brother-in-law mortgaged
his house to buy needed provisions
for both of them to travel to the
Klondike they arrived in Juneau,
Alaska in August.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Crossing the Chilkoot
Pass, spending months in
the town of Dawson
where London had time
to debate the great issues
of his day—socialism and
Darwinism.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
Two participial phrases (“crossing…” and “spending…”)
are followed by a subordinate clause (“where…”) and an
infinitive phrase (“to debate…”). No subject or verb!
Crossing the Chilkoot Pass,
spending months in the town of
Dawson where London had time
to debate the great issues of his
day—socialism and Darwinism.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
During his winter on the
Yukon, London came
down with scurvy, a
disease caused by lack of
vitamin C.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
The main idea is that London came down with scurvy. An
appositive follows “scurvy” to rename it.
During his winter on the Yukon,
London came down with scurvy, a
disease caused by lack of vitamin
C.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
Came home to Oakland
and began publishing
stories for the Overland
Monthly, writing over a
thousand words a day.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
FRAGMENT
Sentence has two verb phrases, but no subject.
Came home to Oakland and began
publishing stories for the
Overland Monthly, writing over a
thousand words a day.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
In years to come, the
stories that London
composed about the
Yukon would bring him
more money than any of
the promised gold.
FRAGMENT? RUN-ON? SENTENCE?
SENTENCE
The independent clause is “stories would bring him
money.”
In years to come, the stories that
London composed about the
Yukon would bring him more
money than any of the promised
gold.