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FRAGMENTS, COMMA SPLICES, AND RUN-ONS OH MY!. WHAT IS A FRAGMENT?. A fragment is a group of words that is punctuated as a sentence but is not a sentence. . WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF FRAGMENTS?. 1. A group of words with no subject or no verb.
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WHAT IS A FRAGMENT? A fragment is a group of words that is punctuated as a sentence but is not a sentence.
WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF FRAGMENTS? 1. A group of words with no subject or no verb 2. A group of words that has a subject and a verb but starts with a dependent word
WHAT IS MISSING? • Took an interest in astronomy. • Scott turning his telescope skyward every night. • A place where the puppy would be happy.
WHERE ARE THE DEPENDENT WORDS (SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS)? • Since I took an interest in astronomy. • Because I was sure I would get there. • While Scott was turning his telescope skyward every night. • If a place where the puppy would be happy was hard to find.
INTENTIONAL VS. UNINTENTIONAL FRAGMENTS • If the author really means to write a fragment it is not an error. Wow! Great. What a mess. • These are intentional fragments. • Note: Intentional fragments usually don’t fit the formal tone of academic writing.
WHAT ARE THE TWO WAYS TO FIX AN UNINTENTIONAL FRAGMENT? • 1. Make it into a sentence. • 2. Join it to a sentence.
WHAT IS A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE? • A subordinate clause is a group of words with a subject and verb but starts with a dependent word. • Examples: since I ran to class, when I was eating lunch, because I came to West. while I am in class …
THERE ARE TWO PATTERNS FOR SENTENCES WITH SUBORDINATE CLAUSES. SC = Subordinate Clause MC = Main Clause Pattern # 1 = SC, MC. Because he was such a good student, I decided to make him a flower pen. Pattern # 2 = MC SC. I decided to make him a flower pen because he was such a good student.
WHAT IS A COMMA SPLICE? • A comma splice is two sentences joined with only a comma. • The wind was cold, they decided not to walk. • I ran to class, I puked my guts out.
WHAT IS A RUN-ON SENTENCE? • A run-on sentence is two sentences with nothing in between. • The wind was cold they decided not to walk. • I ran to class I puked my guts out.
THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO FIX A COMMA SPLICE OR RUN-ON. • 1. Use a period. • 2. Use a semi-colon. • 3. Join with comma + and-but-for-or-nor-so-yet • 4. Make one subordinate (remember- SC, MC)