{"id":4014,"date":"2013-06-27T16:54:43","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T16:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=4014"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:00:46","slug":"fragments-and-run-on-sentences","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/fragments-and-run-on-sentences\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments and Run-on Sentences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_XqwscQlvGEw\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_XqwscQlvGEw\" data-source-videoID=\"XqwscQlvGEw\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Fragments and Run-on Sentences Video\" height=\"720\" width=\"1280\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Fragments and Run-on Sentences\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_XqwscQlvGEw:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_XqwscQlvGEw {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-thumb-13.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_XqwscQlvGEw\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_XqwscQlvGEw\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Fragments and Run-on Sentences\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_XqwscQlvGEw\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_XqwscQlvGEw\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_XqwscQlvGEw\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction 1JQ_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"1JQ\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"1JQ_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"1JQ\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_a_Sentence\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is a Sentence?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_a_Fragment\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is a Fragment?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#What_is_a_RunOn_Sentence\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">What is a Run-On Sentence?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label><input id=\"FAQs\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"FAQs\">FAQs<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Do you ever have an idea you want to share but struggle to find the right words? <\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, we only have a fragment of an idea, and sometimes our brains think in quick succession, running on and on from one idea to another. This can sometimes result in grammatical errors in our writing that hinder our ability to communicate effectively. <\/p>\n<p>So how can you keep this from happening in your writing?<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s find out!<\/p>\n<p>Today, we\u2019ll be taking a look at fragments and run-on sentences. Although they are on opposite ends of the spectrum, both of these grammatical errors can be problematic when trying to communicate an idea. In this review we\u2019ll cover the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are fragments and run-on sentences?<\/li>\n<li>How do I identify them?<\/li>\n<li>How can I revise them to improve my writing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But first, we need to have a clear idea of what our end goal is: let\u2019s start with creating sentences.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_a_Sentence\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is a Sentence?<\/h2>\n<p>\nA sentence is a series of words and punctuation that conveys a complete idea. A sentence must, at minimum, contain a subject and a predicate while also communicating a complete idea. The subject is the main focus, who or what, of the sentence, and the predicate uses a verb to describe an action related to the subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rabbit eats hamburgers\u201d is an example of a basic sentence. Here we have the subject, the rabbit, followed by the verb <em>eats<\/em>, which describes what the rabbit is doing. Together, these communicate a complete idea.<\/p>\n<p>Sentences can become much more complex but will still retain a subject and predicate. \u201cThe rabbit always eats hamburgers on Tuesday\u201d still conveys information about the subject, the rabbit, and uses the verb <em>eats<\/em> but provides more context.<\/p>\n<p>Now that we understand how sentences are built, we can look at two different parts of speech that are related to sentences: fragments and run-on sentences.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_a_Fragment\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is a Fragment?<\/h2>\n<p>\nA fragment is a set of words that do not form a complete sentence on their own. Since we know that sentences must include a subject\u00a0and predicate to be complete, we can infer fragments are\u00a0often missing one or both of these elements. There are, however, cases where a fragment has both a subject and predicate but does not communicate a complete idea on its own.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at some examples of fragments.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Identifying_Fragments\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Identifying Fragments<\/h3>\n<p>\nAn easy way to identify a fragment is to assess whether the reader would be left with any questions about the meaning of the message being conveyed.<\/p>\n<p>Going back to our previous example, if we take away the verb <em>eats<\/em>, we would be left with the following fragment: The rabbit always hamburgers on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see, this leaves out some vital information. What does the rabbit do with the hamburgers on Tuesday?  Does it eat them? Make them? Steal them? Without a clearly defined verb for our predicate, we are left with this important question.<\/p>\n<p>Can you identify which of the following examples are fragments?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The chef made too many waffles.\n<li>Swims as quickly as it could\n<li>When we go to the beach\n<\/ul>\n<p>The first example is not a fragment. We know who the subject is (the chef) and what they did (made waffles).<\/p>\n<p>The second example is a fragment. We know that the verb is <em>swims<\/em>, but there is no clear subject indicating who or what swims.<\/p>\n<p>Our third example is also a fragment. Although it contains a subject (we) and a predicate (go to the beach), the word <em>when<\/em> is conditional, so we are left with an incomplete thought. We are left with the question, \u201cWhat happens when we go to the beach?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once we identify a fragment, we can then work on turning it into a complete sentence.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Revising_Fragments\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Revising Fragments<\/h3>\n<p>\nIn order to revise a fragment, we simply need to insert the missing subject or predicate.<\/p>\n<p>In the example \u201cSwims as quickly as it could,&#8221; the resulting question is \u201cwho swims,\u201d indicating that we are missing a subject. We could make the sentence about a penguin by saying, \u201cThe penguin swims as quickly as it could.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at one more example of a fragment. Here we have a dependent clause: After the penguin swims<\/p>\n<p>Because of the addition of the word <em>after<\/em>, we are led to ask, \u201cWhat happens after the penguin swims?\u201d Since we have our subject (the penguin) and predicate (swims), this tells us that we need add an independent clause to complete the sentence. Let\u2019s add the independent clause \u201cIt eats hamburgers with the rabbit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now we have a subject, a predicate, and an answer to our previous question of what happens after the penguin swims.<\/p>\n<p>While fragments are incomplete and leave the audience with questions, we can also sometimes provide too many ideas in one, resulting in a run-on sentence.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_is_a_RunOn_Sentence\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>What is a Run-On Sentence?<\/h2>\n<p>\nA run-on sentence is the result of two or more clauses being combined together incorrectly. With too much information being shared at once, run-on sentences are often confusing and don\u2019t have a clear meaning. This is typically the result of failing to use conjunctions or proper punctuation.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Identifying_RunOn_Sentences\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Identifying Run-On Sentences<\/h3>\n<p>\nIdentifying run-on sentences can work similarly to identifying fragments, but instead of missing information, a run-on sentence will provide too many options for a given question.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s try combining two clauses together about a rabbit and a dog that eat hamburgers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The rabbit always eats hamburgers on Tuesday the dog eats too.<\/li>\n<li>The rabbit always the dog eat hamburgers too on Tuesday.<\/li>\n<li>The rabbit always eats the dog eats hamburgers on Tuesday too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Uh-oh. Now if we\u2019re asked &#8220;who,\u201d we&#8217;re not sure if the sentence is about the rabbit or the dog. It is also difficult to tell what they are doing. Who is eating what and when? Is the dog eating hamburgers? Is the rabbit eating the dog? What exactly is happening on Tuesday?<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, we can clear up this confusion using punctuation and conjunctions.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Revising_RunOn_Sentences\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Revising Run-On Sentences<\/h3>\n<p>\nOur goal is to communicate that both animals eat hamburgers.<\/p>\n<p>One option is to completely separate the clauses into two distinct sentences using punctuation, which are marks used to clarify meaning by dividing sentences and sentence elements.<\/p>\n<p>The result may look something like this: &#8220;The rabbit always eats hamburgers on Tuesday. The dog eats hamburgers too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Here, we have two complete sentences separated by a period. Each sentence is an independent clause that can stand on its own, and there is no confusion about elements from each sentence and how they influence each other.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, we can use a conjunction to revise our run-on sentence. A conjunction is a word used to connect clauses together.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most common conjunctions is the word <em>and<\/em>. When applied to the previous example, we can create the following sentence: \u201cThe rabbit and the dog always eat hamburgers on Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Our conjunction <em>and<\/em> helps us connect the two subjects and tie them to the same predicate for clarity. <\/p>\n<p>We could also put the clauses back-to-back with our conjunction in the middle: \u201cThe rabbit always eats hamburgers on Tuesday, and the dog eats hamburgers too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In this example. we also have a clear connection between each subject and predicate but with a slightly different meaning based on the placement of the conjunction.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>\nIn today\u2019s review, we covered two common grammatical errors: fragments and run-on sentences.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that a fragment is a set of words that do not form a complete sentence on their own. Fragments will leave their audience with a question. They can be corrected by adding the missing subject or predicate.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, a run-on sentence is the result of two or more clauses being combined incorrectly. They have too much information and can be revised by adding a conjunction and\/or proper punctuation to clearly define each clause as a separate or related idea.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all for this review. Thanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"FAQs-spoiler\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align:center\"><span id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"faq-list\">\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is a sentence fragment?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>A sentence fragment is an incomplete thought. In other words, it is a phrase or clause that is missing a main subject or verb. Here are a few sentence fragment examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cClimbed up the mountain\u201d<br \/>\u201cBefore the storm rolls in\u201d<br \/>\u201cThe large black bear\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How do you fix a fragmented sentence?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>There are a few things you can do to fix a fragmented sentence. You can try attaching the fragmented sentence to another complete sentence in the text; determine what is missing from the sentence, then add whatever the sentence needs, such as a subject, verb, or direct object; or completely rewrite the sentence to make it a complete thought.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">What is a run-on sentence?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>A run-on sentence usually consists of two or more independent clauses that are not joined correctly. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cHe ran the experiment for several hours and he didn\u2019t see any results and so he went back to the drawing board and he came up with another experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201cThe leaves began to fall from the trees, it was starting to look more and more like autumn.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How do you fix a run-on sentence?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Run-on sentences are often fixed by adding punctuation and conjunctions to break up the sentences. Take the following run-on sentence for example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Run-on:<\/strong> \u201cHila likes green apples but she prefers red apples and Ollie likes green apples too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong><span style=\"color:#2DAE47\"> Fixed:<\/span><\/strong> \u201cHila likes green apples, but she prefers red apples. Ollie also likes green apples.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"qa_wrap\">\n<div class=\"q_item text_bold\">\n<h4 class=\"letter\">Q<\/h4>\n<p style=\"line-height: unset;\">How do you avoid run-on sentences?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"a_item\">\n<h4 class=\"letter text_bold\">A<\/h4>\n<p>Avoid run-on sentences by utilizing commas, semicolons, conjunctions, and periods to break up sentences.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/parts-of-a-sentence\/\">Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":239965,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-4014","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-parts-of-a-sentence-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4014"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244891,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4014\/revisions\/244891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}