The Complete Sentence
This guide will help you to write complete sentences. Read each part of the practice exercise an answer all questions.
Practice
The following exercises will show you how to recognize and correct problem sentences.
The Fragment
A fragment is an incomplete sentence. When you read a fragment, you know that something is missing. For example:
The girl brushing her hair.
This fragment can be made into a complete sentence in the following ways:
- The girl is brushing her hair.
- The girl is brushing her hair is pretty.
- I saw the girl brushing her hair.
- Is the girl brushing her hair?
The two phrases below are fragments. In each, something is missing. Rewrite each fragment so that it is a complete sentence. a complete sentence expresses a complete thought.
-The boy washing the car
-The truck going to fast
1.-_____________________________________________________
2.-_____________________________________________________
The Run-on Sentence
A run-on sentence consists of many ideas all trying to fin into one complete sentence. It seems to go on forever, and the reader finds it hard to understand what the writer is trying to say.
Here is an example of a run-on sentence:
Oh my way to work I got a flat tire but I couldn't change in myself so I tied a white cloth to the antenna and waited inside my car until finally a passing a motorist stopped when he noticed the white cloth and offered to change the tire for me event though he was in a hurry he stopped because he is an individual who cares about other people.
In this passage there are for too many ideas to fin into one sentence. Three way of correcting the run-on sentence are explained in the following exercises.
End Punctuation
End punctuation is used to indicate the end of a complete sentence. Each of the following is an example of end punctuation.
The period ( . )
The question mark ( ? )
The exclamation point ( ! )
The period (.) is used to end and complete sentence.
The question mark ( ? ) is used to end a complete sentence that asks a question.
The exclamation point ( ! ) is used to end a complete sentence that expresses a strong feeling.
The Conjunction
The conjunction is a word that is used to connect two compete thoughts. Each of these is a conjunction: and, but, or. In the following sentence, two thoughts are connected by conjunction but.
I would have helped change the tire, but I didn't have time to stop.
Connect each pair of sentences below using the conjunction given. Remember to use a comma (,) before each conjunction.
and My car has a flat tire. I may have to walk to work
________________________________________________
but I would have changed the tire. I didn't know how to do it.
___________________________________________________
or Can you change the tire? Do you want to call the service station?
_________________________________________________________
The Semicolon
A semicolon (;) is used to connect two related sentences when they are not joined by a conjunction. a semicolon can be used in place of a conjunction. The first word that follows a semicolon begins with a lower case (small) letter.
Conjunction He cares about other people, and he always offers to help.
Semicolon He cares about other people; he always offers to help.
Here is an example of a run-on sentence:
Oh my way to work I got a flat tire but I couldn't change in myself so I tied a white cloth to the antenna and waited inside my car until finally a passing a motorist stopped when he noticed the white cloth and offered to change the tire for me event though he was in a hurry he stopped because he is an individual who cares about other people.
In this passage there are for too many ideas to fin into one sentence. Three way of correcting the run-on sentence are explained in the following exercises.
End Punctuation
End punctuation is used to indicate the end of a complete sentence. Each of the following is an example of end punctuation.
The period ( . )
The question mark ( ? )
The exclamation point ( ! )
The period (.) is used to end and complete sentence.
The question mark ( ? ) is used to end a complete sentence that asks a question.
The exclamation point ( ! ) is used to end a complete sentence that expresses a strong feeling.
The Conjunction
The conjunction is a word that is used to connect two compete thoughts. Each of these is a conjunction: and, but, or. In the following sentence, two thoughts are connected by conjunction but.
I would have helped change the tire, but I didn't have time to stop.
Connect each pair of sentences below using the conjunction given. Remember to use a comma (,) before each conjunction.
and My car has a flat tire. I may have to walk to work
________________________________________________
but I would have changed the tire. I didn't know how to do it.
___________________________________________________
or Can you change the tire? Do you want to call the service station?
_________________________________________________________
The Semicolon
A semicolon (;) is used to connect two related sentences when they are not joined by a conjunction. a semicolon can be used in place of a conjunction. The first word that follows a semicolon begins with a lower case (small) letter.
Conjunction He cares about other people, and he always offers to help.
Semicolon He cares about other people; he always offers to help.
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