English Language Arts
Grade 2
15 min
Is it a complete sentence or a run-on?
Is it a complete sentence or a run-on?
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the 'who/what' part of a sentence.
Identify the 'doing' part of a sentence.
Define a complete sentence.
By the end of of this lesson, students will be able to define a run-on sentence.
Tell the difference between a complete sentence and a run-on sentence.
Use a period to fix a simple run-on sentence.
Have you ever told a story that just kept going and going without taking a breath? 😮 Let's learn how to give our sentences a rest!
We will learn about two types of sentences. One is just right, called a complete sentence. ✅ The other is too long, called a run-on. 🏃♂️ Knowing the difference makes your writing easy to read!
Real-World Applications
Writing a fun story about your pet 🐶
Telling a friend about your favo...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Complete Sentence ✅A complete thought. It has a 'who/what' part and a 'doing' part.The happy cat sleeps. 🐈
Run-On Sentence 🏃♂️Two or more complete sentences squished together without a stop sign.The cat sleeps the dog plays. 🐈🐕
Who/What Part (Subject)The person, animal, or thing the sentence is about.In 'The frog hops,' the 'who/what' is 'The frog'. 🐸
Doing Part (Predicate)What the 'who/what' is or does. It's the action!In 'The frog hops,' the 'doing' part is 'hops'. 🤸
Stop Sign (Period)A little dot that tells you to stop at the end of a sentence.The ball is red. 🎈
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Key Rules & Conventions
One Idea, One Sentence Rule
A complete sentence should only have one main idea.
If you have two big ideas, they need to be in two separate sentences. Use a stop sign!
The Stop Sign Check 🚦
Look for a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation point (!).
A run-on sentence often mashes two ideas together and forgets the stop sign in the middle.
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Challenging
A student wrote: 'The artist painted a picture the colors were bright.' An expert would call this a run-on. What is the main reason?
A.The sentence is too boring.
B.It connects two independent clauses without proper punctuation or a conjunction.
C.The word 'artist' is hard to spell.
D.It does not have a subject and a verb.
Challenging
Which of these sentences uses the word 'so' to create a run-on sentence?
A.The story was so funny.
B.I was hungry, so I ate a snack.
C.The sun was hot so we went swimming.
D.He is so tall!
Challenging
Analyze the options. Which one is a complete sentence because it has a compound predicate (two 'doing' parts for one 'who' part) and is NOT a run-on?
A.The frog jumped and caught a fly.
B.The frog jumped it caught a fly.
C.The frog jumped, it caught a fly.
D.The frog jumped the fly was caught.
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