1. Sentence Structure

A complete sentence must have three things: a subject (who or what the sentence is about), a predicate (what the subject does or is -- always contains a verb), and a complete thought that can stand on its own.

Fragments are incomplete sentences. They are missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

• WRONG (missing subject): Ran all the way to the station.
• WRONG (missing verb): The old red bicycle in the garage.
• WRONG (incomplete thought): Because she was tired.
• CORRECT: She ran all the way to the station because she was tired.

Run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are joined without the correct punctuation or conjunction.

• WRONG (fused run-on): She was tired she went to bed early.
• WRONG (comma splice): She was tired, she went to bed early.
• CORRECT (period): She was tired. She went to bed early.
• CORRECT (semicolon): She was tired; she went to bed early.
• CORRECT (conjunction): She was tired, so she went to bed early.

How to fix each error:

• Fragment: add a subject, add a verb, or attach the fragment to a nearby sentence.
• Fused run-on: add a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction with a comma.
• Comma splice: replace the comma with a period or semicolon, or add a conjunction.

⚠️ Common mistake: thinking a long sentence cannot be a fragment. A clause that begins with 'because', 'although', 'since', or 'while' is always a dependent clause -- it is a fragment if nothing else is attached to it.

💡 Tip: read the sentence aloud and ask 'Does this make a complete thought?' If you feel yourself waiting for more information, it is probably a fragment.