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Fr: avoid sentence fragments.

A fragment is an incomplete sentence, lacking either subject, predicate, or both. If your teacher marks “Fr,” identify which of two errors you committed:

1. Do not leave subordinate word groups to stand alone.

In the first example, the fragment is a subordinate clause:

FRAGMENT: Although computers do not make errors. Their users do.

SENTENCE: Although computers do not make errors, their users do.

SENTENCES: Computers do not make errors. However, their users do.

In the second example, the fragment is a relative clause:

FRAGMENT: I wanted to see the movie. Which everyone said was good.

SENTENCE: I wanted to see the movie, which everyone said was good.

2. Avoid beginning sentences with words like “and” or “but.” A sentence that starts with a coordinating conjunction (“but,” “and,” “or,” “nor,” “yet”) is technically a fragment. People use such sentences all the time in conversation, but they sound informal in academic writing, and they quickly become monotonous.

FRAGMENT: The United Nations held peace talks. But the civil war continued.

SENTENCE: The United Nations held peace talks, but the civil war continued.

SENTENCE: Despite the peace talks, the civil war continued.

RUN-ON SENTENCES

RO: run-on sentences.

If your teacher marked “RO” on your paper, identify whether your error was CS or FS, and choose the best way to correct it.

CS: comma splices.

Do not use commas to join sentences that must stand on their own.

COMMA SPLICE: The wind blew all night long, now the trees have no leaves.

Periods and coordinating conjunctions are lazy solutions that do not give the reader much help. Semicolons are better, but restructuring is best. Comma splices are signs that a writer has not worked hard enough to define the connection between ideas.

RESTRUCTURED: After last night’s storm, the trees have no leaves.

SEMICOLON (lazy solution): The wind blew all night long; now the trees have no leaves.

CONJUNCTION (lazy solution): The wind blew all night long, and now the trees have no leaves.

PERIOD (lazy solution): The wind blew all night long. Now the trees have no leaves.

FS: fused sentences.

Do not join with no punctuation two independent clauses.

COMMA SPLICE: The wind blew all night long now the trees have no leaves.