Fragments and Run-Ons Station Instructions
1. As a group, sort the following sentences. Put them in one of the three following categories: fragment, complete sentence, run-on.
2. As you go through the run-on and fragment sentences, pick five of each kind to re-write in complete sentence form. Write these on your stations handout.
3. When you have completed categorizing and rewriting sentences, work on the following “Fragments and Run-Ons Practice” sheet.
Cut these out:
Although the apartment is not expensive, the utility payments are high.
After we broke up, I cried for three days straight.
After I spilled chocolate all over my shirt.
After I get my college degree, I will be able to achieve anything.
The car sputtered to a stop.
Because I love you to the ends of the earth, I will not spoil the ending of Harry Potter.
Because she hated giraffes.
We went on a date last Thursday night.
Before she would introduce me to her parents.
It is never a great idea.
Ever since you braided your hair.
If you get an A in math, I will give you a new car.
Although I tried very hard.
She is still my best friend.
After he won the lottery.
As she got on the crowded bus.
The couple arrived at the ship for the cruise.
She had never climbed a mountain before.
Before the volcano erupted.
I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.
Kelly likes to cook, she makes chicken every day.
Mary likes dogs she has a beagle.
My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.
Hiking is a wonderful activity, it is especially nice if you live near mountains.
When she was two, she got pneumonia, she was so sick.
The boy is so sweet he really loves animals.
It was a beautiful day there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Susie and John went to the movies Peter stayed home.
Name______Period______
Fragments & Run-ons Practice
Detecting Fragments: Each word group in the following student paragraph is numbered. For each numbered word group, write C in the space provided if the word group is a complete sentence; write F if it is a fragment.
1I’m starting to think that there is no safe place left. 2To ride a bicycle. 3When I try to ride on the highway to go to school. 4I feel like a rabbit being pursued by predators. 5Drivers whip past me at high speeds. 6And try to see how close they can get to my bike without actually killing me. 7When they pull onto the shoulder of the road or make a right turn. 8Drivers completely ignore my vehicle. 9On city streets, I feel more like a cockroach than a rabbit. 10Drivers in the city despise bicycles. 11Regardless of an approaching bike rider. 12Street-side car doors will unexpectedly open. 13Frustrated drivers who are stuck in traffic will make nasty comments. 14Or shout out obscene propositions. 15Even pedestrians in the city show their disregard for me. 16While jaywalking across the street. 17The pedestrian will treat me, a law-abiding bicyclist, to a withering look of disdain. 18 Pedestrians may even cross my path deliberately. 19 As if to prove their higher position in the pecking order of the city streets. 20Today, bicycling can be hazardous to the rider’s health.
1. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____ 6. _____ 7. _____
8. _____ 9. _____ 10._____ 11._____ 12._____ 13._____ 14._____
15._____ 16._____ 17._____ 18._____ 19._____ 20._____
Correcting Fragments: Underline the fragment in each of the following items. Then make it a sentence by rewriting it, using the method described in italics in the parentheses.
Ex. – My mother likes watching daytime television shows. Especially old movies and soap operas. She says that daytime television is less violent. (Add the fragment to the preceding sentence.)
My mother likes watching daytime television shows, especially old movies and soap______operas.______
1. Luis works evenings in a video store. He enjoys the fringe benefits. For example, seeing the new movies first. (Correct the fragment by adding the subject and verb he sees.)
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2. Henry Ford (1863-1947) is credited with the invention of the assembly line, not the automobile. Several nineteenth-century inventors had designed self-propelled vehicles. Like the one that ran on high-pressure steam. (Attach the fragment to the preceding sentence.)
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3. Electronic devices keep getting smaller. Such as video cameras and cell phones. Some are so tiny they look like toys. (Correct the fragment by inserting it into the preceding sentence.)
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4. Left-handed students face problems. For example, right-handed desks. Spiral notebooks can also be uncomfortable to use. (Correct the fragment by adding a subject and verb to it.)
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5. Some European countries remained neutral during World War II. Such as Switzerland and Portugal. Most South American countries refused to take sides as well. (Attach the fragment to the preceding sentence.)
______Correcting Run-ons: Correct each run-on with either (1) a period and a capital letter or (2) a comma and a FANBOYS, or (3) a semicolon. Do not use one method exclusively. Write your correction directly on or above the sentence.
1. The nervous system works by transmitting signals from all parts of the body to the brain then it sends return signals to various organs and muscles.
2. With a groan, Margo pried off her high heels, then she plunged her swollen feet into a bucket of baking soda and hot water.
3. At 2 A.M. the last customer left the diner, a busboy began stacking chairs on the tables for the night.
4. Hypnosis has nothing to do with the occult it is merely a state of deep relaxation.
5. Many young adults today live at home with their parents this allows them to save money.
6. Many politicians wanted America to remain neutral during World War II the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 made that impossible.
7. Early in life, Thomas Edison suffered with deafness, he taught his wife-to-be Morse code while he was courting her.
8. Originally, horses were too small to carry riders very far larger horses had to be bred for use in warfare.
9. The words month, silver, purple, and orange have something in common no other English words rhyme with them.