Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on?

Learning Objectives Define a complete sentence, a fragment, and a run-on sentence. Identify the subject and predicate in a simple sentence. Differentiate between a complete sentence, a fragment, and a run-on. Correct fragments by adding the missing subject or predicate. Revise run-on sentences by using correct punctuation and conjunctions. Apply their knowledge to proofread their own writing for sentence errors. Ever tried to build a LEGO castle with missing pieces or instructions that just keep going forever? 🧱 Sentences can be just like that! In this lesson, we'll become sentence detectives! We will learn how to spot three types of word groups: complete sentences, fragments (the ones with missing pieces), and run-ons (the ones that never seem to end). Knowing the di...

TermDefinitionExample Complete SentenceA group of words that has a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. It's a whole idea!The curious squirrel climbed the tall oak tree. FragmentAn incomplete sentence. It's a piece of a sentence that is missing a subject, a predicate, or doesn't express a complete thought.Running through the grass. Run-on SentenceTwo or more complete sentences that are incorrectly joined together without the right punctuation or connecting word.The bell rang the students rushed out of the classroom. SubjectThe 'who' or 'what' the sentence is about. It's the person, place, or thing doing the action.In the sentence 'The dog chased the ball,' the subject is 'The dog'. PredicateThe part of the se...

The Complete Sentence Formula Subject + Predicate = Complete Thought To be a complete sentence, a group of words must have a 'who' or 'what' (the subject) and a 'did what' (the predicate). Most importantly, it has to make sense all by itself. The Fragment Test Ask: Who/What? and Did What? Read the group of words. If you have to ask 'Who did that?' or 'What did they do?', you've probably found a fragment. It's missing a key piece of information. The Run-on Stop Sign Find the spot where one idea ends and another begins. Read the sentence and look for a place where you could put a period and have two separate, complete sentences. If you find one and there's no proper punctuation (like a period) or a conjun...