A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but is not. It lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought, meaning it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Often, fragments are:

• Missing a subject:

  • Fragment: Ran to the store. (Who ran?)
  • Correction: She ran to the store.

• Missing a verb:

  • Fragment: The dog on the couch. (What did the dog do?)
  • Correction: The dog on the couch slept peacefully.

• A dependent clause standing alone: (A dependent clause has a subject and a verb but starts with a subordinating conjunction like because, although, while, since, if, when, etc., making it unable to stand alone.)

  • Fragment: Because I was tired. (What happened because you were tired?)
  • Correction: I went to bed early because I was tired.

• A phrase standing alone: (Phrases are groups of words without both a subject and a verb.)

  • Fragment: After the long, arduous journey. (What happened after the journey?)
  • Correction: They rested after the long, arduous journey.

To correct a fragment, you typically need to connect it to an independent clause (a complete sentence) or add the missing subject/verb to make it a complete thought.

A run-on sentence (also known as a fused sentence) occurs when two or more independent clauses (complete sentences) are joined together without proper punctuation or conjunctions.

There are two main types of run-ons:

• Fused Sentence: Two or more independent clauses are joined with no punctuation at all.

  • Run-on: The sun is shining brightly the birds are singing.
  • Correction options:
    • Separate sentences: The sun is shining brightly. The birds are singing.
    • Comma and coordinating conjunction: The sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing.
    • Semicolon: The sun is shining brightly; the birds are singing.

• Comma Splice: Two or more independent clauses are joined only by a comma, which is insufficient to separate them.

  • Run-on: I love to read, my favorite genre is fantasy.
  • Correction options:
    • Separate sentences: I love to read. My favorite genre is fantasy.
    • Comma and coordinating conjunction: I love to read, and my favorite genre is fantasy.
    • Semicolon: I love to read; my favorite genre is fantasy.
    • Semicolon and transitional expression: I love to read; in fact, my favorite genre is fantasy.
    • Subordinating conjunction: Because I love to read, my favorite genre is fantasy. (This makes one clause dependent.)

Common coordinating conjunctions to remember are FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).

Correcting run-ons involves using appropriate punctuation (periods, semicolons) or conjunctions (coordinating or subordinating) to clearly separate or connect the independent clauses.