English Language Arts
Grade 3
15 min
Is it a complete sentence or a run-on?
Is it a complete sentence or a run-on?
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define a complete sentence and a run-on sentence.
Identify the subject (who or what) in a simple sentence.
Identify the predicate (what the subject does) in a simple sentence.
Determine if a group of words expresses a complete thought.
Differentiate between a complete sentence and a run-on sentence.
Correct a simple run-on sentence by adding a period and a capital letter.
Have you ever tried to tell a story so fast that all your words got squished together? 🏃♂️💨 That's what a run-on sentence is like!
Today, we're going to become sentence detectives! We will learn the secret code for building strong, complete sentences. We will also learn how to spot and fix tricky 'run-on' sentences that try to confuse our readers.
Real-World Appl...
2
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Complete SentenceA group of words that tells a whole idea. It has a who or what (subject) and tells what it does (predicate).The happy frog jumped.
SubjectThe 'who' or 'what' the sentence is about. It's the person, place, or thing doing the action.In the sentence 'The bird sings a song,' the subject is 'The bird'.
PredicateThe part of the sentence that tells what the subject is or does. It's the action part!In the sentence 'The bird sings a song,' the predicate is 'sings a song'.
Complete ThoughtA full idea that makes sense all by itself. A complete sentence always has a complete thought.'She loves ice cream' is a complete thought. 'Loves ice cream' is not.
Run-On SentenceWhen t...
3
Key Rules & Conventions
The Sentence Check
Subject + Predicate = Complete Thought
To be a complete sentence, a group of words must have a 'who or what' (subject) and a 'does what' (predicate). If it has both, it's a complete thought and a complete sentence.
The Run-On Spotter
Complete Thought + Complete Thought = Run-On!
If you find two or more complete thoughts in one sentence with no stop sign (like a period) between them, you've spotted a run-on. You need to separate them into their own sentences.
4 more steps in this tutorial
Sign up free to access the complete tutorial with worked examples and practice.
Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
Read the two sentences carefully.
Sentence 1: The artist painted a beautiful picture of the sunset, and she used many bright colors.
Sentence 2: The artist painted a beautiful picture of the sunset, she used many bright colors.
Which statement is true?
A.Both sentences are complete sentences.
B.Both sentences are run-on sentences.
C.Sentence 1 is a run-on, and Sentence 2 is a complete sentence.
D.Sentence 1 is a complete sentence, and Sentence 2 is a run-on.
Challenging
Read the short story below. Which numbered sentence is a run-on?
(1) A little frog sat on a lily pad. (2) He was watching the dragonflies buzz by, he hoped to catch one for lunch. (3) Suddenly, a big fish swam underneath him. (4) The frog jumped to another lily pad just in time!
A.Sentence 1
B.Sentence 2
C.Sentence 3
D.Sentence 4
Challenging
Look at this run-on sentence: "It started to rain we ran inside."
Which sentence shows a correct way to fix it?
A.It started to rain, so we ran inside.
B.It started to rain, because we ran inside.
C.It started to rain, after we ran inside.
D.It started to rain, or we ran inside.
Want to practice and check your answers?
Sign up to access all questions with instant feedback, explanations, and progress tracking.
Start Practicing Free