{"id":422,"date":"2015-10-14T22:20:36","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T22:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/styleforstudentsx48xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=422"},"modified":"2015-10-14T22:20:36","modified_gmt":"2015-10-14T22:20:36","slug":"fragments-and-run-ons","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hccc-styleforstudents-1\/chapter\/fragments-and-run-ons\/","title":{"raw":"Fragments and Run-ons","rendered":"Fragments and Run-ons"},"content":{"raw":"

WHAT THIS HANDOUT IS ABOUT<\/h2>\r\nIf instructors have ever returned your papers with \u201cfrag,\u201d \u201cS.F.,\u201d \u201cR.O.,\u201d or \u201crun-on\u201d written in the margin, you may find this handout useful. It will help you locate and correct sentence fragments and run-ons.\r\n

THE BASICS<\/h2>\r\nBefore we get to the problems and how to fix them, let\u2019s take a minute to review some information that is so basic you\u2019ve probably forgotten it.\r\n\r\nWhat is a complete sentence?<\/strong> A complete sentence is not merely a group of words with a capital letter at the beginning and a period or question mark at the end. A complete sentence has three components:\r\n
    1. a subject (the actor in the sentence)<\/ol>\r\n
      2. a predicate (the verb or action), and<\/ol>\r\n
        3. a complete thought (it can stand alone and make sense\u2014it\u2019s independent).<\/ol>\r\nSome sentences can be very short, with only two or three words expressing a complete thought, like this:\r\n

        John waited.<\/i><\/p>\r\nThis sentence has a subject (John<\/em>) and a verb (waited<\/em>), and it expresses a complete thought. We can understand the idea completely with just those two words, so again, it\u2019s independent\u2014an independent clause<\/strong>. But independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) can be expanded to contain a lot more information, like this:\r\n

        John waited for the bus all morning.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        Wishing he\u2019d brought his umbrella, John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        Wishing he\u2019d brought his umbrella and dreaming of his nice warm bed, John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\r\nAs your sentences grow more complicated, it gets harder to spot and stay focused on the basic elements of a complete sentence, but if you look carefully at the examples above, you\u2019ll see that the main thought is still that John waited<\/em>\u2014one main subject and one main verb. No matter how long or short the other sentence parts are, none of them can stand alone and make sense.\r\n\r\nBeing able to find the main subject, the main verb, and the complete thought is the first trick to learn for identifying fragments and run-ons.\r\n

        SENTENCE FRAGMENTS<\/h2>\r\nA sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence<\/strong>. Some fragments are incomplete because they lack either a subject or a verb, or both. The fragments that most students have trouble with, however, are dependent clauses<\/strong>\u2014they have a subject and a verb, so they look like complete sentences, but they don\u2019t express a complete thought. They\u2019re called \u201cdependent\u201d because they can\u2019t stand on their own (just like some people you might know who are SO dependent!). Look at these dependent clauses. They\u2019re just begging for more information to make the thoughts complete:\r\n

        Because his car was in the shop (\u2026What did he do?)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        After the rain stops (\u2026What then?)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        When you finally take the test (\u2026What will happen?)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        Since you asked (\u2026Will you get the answer?)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

        If you want to go with me (\u2026What should you do?)<\/i><\/p>\r\nDoes each of these examples have a subject? Yes. Does each have a verb? Yes. So what makes the thought incomplete? It\u2019s the first word (Because, After, When, Since, If<\/em>). These words belong to a special class of words called subordinators<\/strong> or subordinating conjunctions<\/strong>. If you know something about subordinating conjunctions, you can probably eliminate 90% of your fragments.\r\n\r\nFirst, you need to know that subordinating conjunctions do three things:\r\n

          \r\n\t
        1. join two sentences together<\/li>\r\n\t
        2. make one of the sentences dependent on the other for a complete thought (make one a dependent clause)<\/li>\r\n\t
        3. indicate a logical relationship<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nSecond, you need to recognize the subordinators when you see them. Here is a list of common subordinating conjunctions and the relationships they indicate:\r\n

          Cause \/ Effect:<\/strong>because, since, so that<\/em><\/p>\r\n

          Comparison \/ Contrast:<\/strong> although, even though, though, whereas, while<\/em><\/p>\r\n

          Place & Manner:<\/strong> how, however, where, wherever<\/em><\/p>\r\n

          Possibility \/ Conditions:<\/strong> if, whether, unless<\/em><\/p>\r\n

          Relation:<\/strong> that, which, who<\/em><\/p>\r\n

          Time:<\/strong> after, as, before, since, when, whenever, while, until<\/em><\/p>\r\nThird, you need to know that the subordinator (and the whole dependent clause) doesn\u2019t have to be at the beginning of the sentence. The dependent clause and the independent clause can switch places, but the whole clause moves as one big chunk. Look at how these clauses switched places in the sentence:\r\n

          Because his car was in the shop,\u00a0<\/i>John took the bus.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

          John took the bus\u00a0because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\r\nFinally, you need to know that every dependent clause needs to be attached to an independent clause (remember, the independent clause can stand on its own).\r\n\r\nHow do you find and fix your fragments?<\/strong> Remember the basics: subject, verb, and complete thought. If you can recognize those things, you\u2019re halfway there. Then, scan your sentences for subordinating conjunctions. If you find one, first identify the whole chunk of the dependent clause (the subject and verb that go with the subordinator), and then make sure they\u2019re attached to an independent clause.\r\n

          John took the bus. (Independent clause. So far, all is well!) Because his car was in the shop. (Dependent clause all by itself. Uh oh! Fragment!)<\/i><\/p>\r\n

          John took the bus because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\r\n\r\n

          RUN-ONS<\/h2>\r\nThese are also called fused sentences. You are making a run-on when you put two complete sentences (a subject and its predicate and another subject and its predicate) together in one sentence without separating them properly. Here\u2019s an example of a run-on:\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nThis one sentence actually contains two complete sentences. But in the rush to get that idea out, I made it into one incorrect sentence. Luckily, there are many ways to correct this run-on sentence.\r\n\r\nYou could use a semicolon:\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus; it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nYou could use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so):\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, for it is very garlicky. -OR- My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, and it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nYou could use a subordinating conjunction (see above):\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus because it is very garlicky. -OR- Because it is so garlicky, my favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.<\/i><\/p>\r\nYou could make it into two separate sentences with a period in between:\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is humus. It is very garlicky.\r\n<\/em><\/p>\r\nYou could use an em-dash (a long dash) for emphasis:\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus\u2014it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nYou CANNOT simply add a comma between the two sentences, or you\u2019ll end up with what\u2019s called a \u201ccomma splice.\u201d Here\u2019s an example of a comma splice:\r\n

          My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nYou can fix a comma splice the same way you fix a run-on\u2014either change the punctuation or add a conjunction. The good news is that writers tend to be either comma splicers or run-on artists, but almost never both. Which one are you? If you have particular trouble with comma splices, try looking at our handout on commas<\/a>.\r\n

          FINDING RUN-ONS<\/h2>\r\nAs you can see, fixing run-ons is pretty easy once you see them\u2014but how do you find out if a sentence is a run-on if you aren\u2019t sure? Rei R. Noguchi, in his book Grammar and the Teaching of Writing<\/cite>, recommends two methods for testing your sentences. Try these two tests:<\/strong>\r\n
            \r\n\t
          1. Turn your sentences into yes\/no questions.<\/li>\r\n\t
          2. Turn your sentences into tag questions (sentences that end with a questioning phrase at the very end\u2014look at our examples below).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nThese are two things that nearly everyone can do easily if the sentence is not a run-on, but they become next to impossible if it is.\r\n\r\nLook at the following sentence:<\/strong>\r\n

            My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.<\/i><\/p>\r\nIf you turn it into a question that someone could answer with a yes or no, it looks like this:\r\n

            Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus?<\/i><\/p>\r\nIf you turn it into a tag question, it looks like this:\r\n

            My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\r\nThe first sentence is complete and not a run-on, because our test worked.\r\n\r\nNow, look again at the original run-on sentence:<\/strong>\r\n

            My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\r\nThe yes\/no question can only be made with each separate thought, not the sentence as a whole:\r\n

            Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus? Is it very garlicky?<\/i><\/p>\r\nBut not:\r\n

            Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus is it very garlicky?<\/i><\/p>\r\nThe tag question can also only be made with each separate thought, rather than the whole:\r\n

            My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s very garlicky, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\r\nBut never:\r\n

            My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\r\nUnlike the complete sentence, the run-on sentence doesn\u2019t pass these tests. When you try to turn the run-on sentence into a single question, you immediately see that the sentence has more than one complete concept. Make sure you try both tests with each of your problem sentences, because you may trick yourself by just putting a tag on the last part and not noticing that it doesn\u2019t work on the first. Some people might not notice that \u201cMy favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky isn\u2019t it?\u201d is wrong, but most people will spot the yes\/no question problem right away.\r\n\r\nEvery once in a while, you or your instructor will see a really long sentence and think it\u2019s a run-on when it isn\u2019t. Really long sentences can be tiring but not necessarily wrong\u2014just make sure that yours aren\u2019t wrong by using the tests above.\r\n

            WORKS CONSULTED<\/h2>\r\nWe consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout\u2019s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial<\/a>.\r\n

            Hacker, Diana. A Writer\u2019s Reference<\/em>. 5th<\/sup> ed. Boston: Bedford\/St. Martin\u2019s, 2003.<\/p>\r\n

            Hairston, Maxine, John Ruszkiewicz and Christy Friend. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers<\/em>. 6th<\/sup> ed. New York: Longman, 2002.<\/p>\r\n

            Lunsford, Andrea A. and Robert Connors. St. Martin\u2019s Handbook<\/em>. 5th<\/sup> ed. Boston: Bedford\/St. Martin\u2019s, 2003. (specifically Chapter 7)<\/p>\r\n

            Noguchi, Rei R. Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and Possibilities<\/em>. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1991.<\/p>\r\n ","rendered":"

            WHAT THIS HANDOUT IS ABOUT<\/h2>\n

            If instructors have ever returned your papers with \u201cfrag,\u201d \u201cS.F.,\u201d \u201cR.O.,\u201d or \u201crun-on\u201d written in the margin, you may find this handout useful. It will help you locate and correct sentence fragments and run-ons.<\/p>\n

            THE BASICS<\/h2>\n

            Before we get to the problems and how to fix them, let\u2019s take a minute to review some information that is so basic you\u2019ve probably forgotten it.<\/p>\n

            What is a complete sentence?<\/strong> A complete sentence is not merely a group of words with a capital letter at the beginning and a period or question mark at the end. A complete sentence has three components:<\/p>\n

              <\/ol>\n
                <\/ol>\n
                  <\/ol>\n

                  Some sentences can be very short, with only two or three words expressing a complete thought, like this:<\/p>\n

                  John waited.<\/i><\/p>\n

                  This sentence has a subject (John<\/em>) and a verb (waited<\/em>), and it expresses a complete thought. We can understand the idea completely with just those two words, so again, it\u2019s independent\u2014an independent clause<\/strong>. But independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) can be expanded to contain a lot more information, like this:<\/p>\n

                  John waited for the bus all morning.<\/i><\/p>\n

                  John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday.<\/i><\/p>\n

                  Wishing he\u2019d brought his umbrella, John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday.<\/i><\/p>\n

                  Wishing he\u2019d brought his umbrella and dreaming of his nice warm bed, John waited for the bus all morning in the rain last Tuesday because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\n

                  As your sentences grow more complicated, it gets harder to spot and stay focused on the basic elements of a complete sentence, but if you look carefully at the examples above, you\u2019ll see that the main thought is still that John waited<\/em>\u2014one main subject and one main verb. No matter how long or short the other sentence parts are, none of them can stand alone and make sense.<\/p>\n

                  Being able to find the main subject, the main verb, and the complete thought is the first trick to learn for identifying fragments and run-ons.<\/p>\n

                  SENTENCE FRAGMENTS<\/h2>\n

                  A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence<\/strong>. Some fragments are incomplete because they lack either a subject or a verb, or both. The fragments that most students have trouble with, however, are dependent clauses<\/strong>\u2014they have a subject and a verb, so they look like complete sentences, but they don\u2019t express a complete thought. They\u2019re called \u201cdependent\u201d because they can\u2019t stand on their own (just like some people you might know who are SO dependent!). Look at these dependent clauses. They\u2019re just begging for more information to make the thoughts complete:<\/p>\n

                  Because his car was in the shop (\u2026What did he do?)<\/i><\/p>\n

                  After the rain stops (\u2026What then?)<\/i><\/p>\n

                  When you finally take the test (\u2026What will happen?)<\/i><\/p>\n

                  Since you asked (\u2026Will you get the answer?)<\/i><\/p>\n

                  If you want to go with me (\u2026What should you do?)<\/i><\/p>\n

                  Does each of these examples have a subject? Yes. Does each have a verb? Yes. So what makes the thought incomplete? It\u2019s the first word (Because, After, When, Since, If<\/em>). These words belong to a special class of words called subordinators<\/strong> or subordinating conjunctions<\/strong>. If you know something about subordinating conjunctions, you can probably eliminate 90% of your fragments.<\/p>\n

                  First, you need to know that subordinating conjunctions do three things:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. join two sentences together<\/li>\n
                  2. make one of the sentences dependent on the other for a complete thought (make one a dependent clause)<\/li>\n
                  3. indicate a logical relationship<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Second, you need to recognize the subordinators when you see them. Here is a list of common subordinating conjunctions and the relationships they indicate:<\/p>\n

                    Cause \/ Effect:<\/strong>because, since, so that<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Comparison \/ Contrast:<\/strong> although, even though, though, whereas, while<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Place & Manner:<\/strong> how, however, where, wherever<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Possibility \/ Conditions:<\/strong> if, whether, unless<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Relation:<\/strong> that, which, who<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Time:<\/strong> after, as, before, since, when, whenever, while, until<\/em><\/p>\n

                    Third, you need to know that the subordinator (and the whole dependent clause) doesn\u2019t have to be at the beginning of the sentence. The dependent clause and the independent clause can switch places, but the whole clause moves as one big chunk. Look at how these clauses switched places in the sentence:<\/p>\n

                    Because his car was in the shop,\u00a0<\/i>John took the bus.<\/span><\/p>\n

                    John took the bus\u00a0because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    Finally, you need to know that every dependent clause needs to be attached to an independent clause (remember, the independent clause can stand on its own).<\/p>\n

                    How do you find and fix your fragments?<\/strong> Remember the basics: subject, verb, and complete thought. If you can recognize those things, you\u2019re halfway there. Then, scan your sentences for subordinating conjunctions. If you find one, first identify the whole chunk of the dependent clause (the subject and verb that go with the subordinator), and then make sure they\u2019re attached to an independent clause.<\/p>\n

                    John took the bus. (Independent clause. So far, all is well!) Because his car was in the shop. (Dependent clause all by itself. Uh oh! Fragment!)<\/i><\/p>\n

                    John took the bus because his car was in the shop.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    RUN-ONS<\/h2>\n

                    These are also called fused sentences. You are making a run-on when you put two complete sentences (a subject and its predicate and another subject and its predicate) together in one sentence without separating them properly. Here\u2019s an example of a run-on:<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    This one sentence actually contains two complete sentences. But in the rush to get that idea out, I made it into one incorrect sentence. Luckily, there are many ways to correct this run-on sentence.<\/p>\n

                    You could use a semicolon:<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus; it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    You could use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so):<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, for it is very garlicky. -OR- My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, and it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    You could use a subordinating conjunction (see above):<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus because it is very garlicky. -OR- Because it is so garlicky, my favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    You could make it into two separate sentences with a period in between:<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is humus. It is very garlicky.
                    \n<\/em><\/p>\n

                    You could use an em-dash (a long dash) for emphasis:<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus\u2014it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    You CANNOT simply add a comma between the two sentences, or you\u2019ll end up with what\u2019s called a \u201ccomma splice.\u201d Here\u2019s an example of a comma splice:<\/p>\n

                    My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                    You can fix a comma splice the same way you fix a run-on\u2014either change the punctuation or add a conjunction. The good news is that writers tend to be either comma splicers or run-on artists, but almost never both. Which one are you? If you have particular trouble with comma splices, try looking at our handout on commas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                    FINDING RUN-ONS<\/h2>\n

                    As you can see, fixing run-ons is pretty easy once you see them\u2014but how do you find out if a sentence is a run-on if you aren\u2019t sure? Rei R. Noguchi, in his book Grammar and the Teaching of Writing<\/cite>, recommends two methods for testing your sentences. Try these two tests:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Turn your sentences into yes\/no questions.<\/li>\n
                    2. Turn your sentences into tag questions (sentences that end with a questioning phrase at the very end\u2014look at our examples below).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      These are two things that nearly everyone can do easily if the sentence is not a run-on, but they become next to impossible if it is.<\/p>\n

                      Look at the following sentence:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.<\/i><\/p>\n

                      If you turn it into a question that someone could answer with a yes or no, it looks like this:<\/p>\n

                      Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      If you turn it into a tag question, it looks like this:<\/p>\n

                      My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      The first sentence is complete and not a run-on, because our test worked.<\/p>\n

                      Now, look again at the original run-on sentence:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                      My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.<\/i><\/p>\n

                      The yes\/no question can only be made with each separate thought, not the sentence as a whole:<\/p>\n

                      Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus? Is it very garlicky?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      But not:<\/p>\n

                      Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus is it very garlicky?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      The tag question can also only be made with each separate thought, rather than the whole:<\/p>\n

                      My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s very garlicky, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      But never:<\/p>\n

                      My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky, isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\n

                      Unlike the complete sentence, the run-on sentence doesn\u2019t pass these tests. When you try to turn the run-on sentence into a single question, you immediately see that the sentence has more than one complete concept. Make sure you try both tests with each of your problem sentences, because you may trick yourself by just putting a tag on the last part and not noticing that it doesn\u2019t work on the first. Some people might not notice that \u201cMy favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky isn\u2019t it?\u201d is wrong, but most people will spot the yes\/no question problem right away.<\/p>\n

                      Every once in a while, you or your instructor will see a really long sentence and think it\u2019s a run-on when it isn\u2019t. Really long sentences can be tiring but not necessarily wrong\u2014just make sure that yours aren\u2019t wrong by using the tests above.<\/p>\n

                      WORKS CONSULTED<\/h2>\n

                      We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout\u2019s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                      Hacker, Diana. A Writer\u2019s Reference<\/em>. 5th<\/sup> ed. Boston: Bedford\/St. Martin\u2019s, 2003.<\/p>\n

                      Hairston, Maxine, John Ruszkiewicz and Christy Friend. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers<\/em>. 6th<\/sup> ed. New York: Longman, 2002.<\/p>\n

                      Lunsford, Andrea A. and Robert Connors. St. Martin\u2019s Handbook<\/em>. 5th<\/sup> ed. Boston: Bedford\/St. Martin\u2019s, 2003. (specifically Chapter 7)<\/p>\n

                      Noguchi, Rei R. Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and Possibilities<\/em>. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1991.<\/p>\n

                       <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

                      \n\t\t\t

                      Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
                      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
                      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
                      CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div>