English Language Arts
Grade 6
15 min
Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on?
Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on?
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define and identify a complete sentence, a fragment, and a run-on sentence.
Explain the three essential components of a complete sentence: a subject, a predicate, and a complete thought.
Differentiate between fragments and complete sentences by checking for missing parts or incomplete ideas.
Identify run-on sentences where two or more complete thoughts are incorrectly joined.
Revise fragments into complete sentences using appropriate additions.
Correct run-on sentences using various strategies, including punctuation and conjunctions.
Ever wonder why some sentences just 'flow' and others feel choppy or never-ending? 🤔 Good writing starts with understanding how sentences work!
In this lesson, you'll become a detective of sentences, learning...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Complete SentenceA group of words that expresses a complete thought and contains both a subject and a predicate.The swift fox darted across the snowy field.
SubjectThe person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about; it performs the action or is described.In 'The students studied diligently,' 'The students' is the subject.
PredicateThe part of the sentence that tells what the subject does or what is being said about the subject; it always includes a verb.In 'The students studied diligently,' 'studied diligently' is the predicate.
FragmentAn incomplete sentence; it is missing a subject, a predicate, or does not express a complete thought, even if it has both.Running quickly through the tall grass.
Run-on SentenceTwo or...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Complete Sentence Check
A complete sentence MUST have: 1. A subject (who or what) 2. A predicate (what the subject does or is) 3. A complete thought (it makes sense on its own).
Use this rule to test if a group of words is a full, independent idea. If any part is missing, it's not a complete sentence.
Identifying Fragments
If a group of words is missing a subject, a predicate, or doesn't express a complete thought, it is a fragment.
Look for phrases that leave you asking 'Who did what?' or 'What happened next?' These are often fragments that need more information to be complete.
Identifying Run-on Sentences
If you have two or more complete thoughts (each with its own subject and predicate) joined together without proper punctuation (li...
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Challenging
Read the short paragraph. Which sentence contains an error, and what is the error? (1) The assignment was to write an argumentative essay. (2) I chose a topic I felt passionate about. (3) Researching the opposing viewpoint, which is an important step. (4) My final draft was much stronger because of it.
A.Sentence 3 is a fragment.
B.Sentence 2 is a run-on.
C.Sentence 4 is a fragment.
D.Sentence 1 is a comma splice.
Challenging
A student wants to correct the run-on: 'The author's purpose was to inform the reader learned a lot.' Which of the following proposed revisions is still grammatically incorrect?
A.The author's purpose was to inform. The reader learned a lot.
B.The author's purpose was to inform, the reader learned a lot.
C.The author's purpose was to inform, so the reader learned a lot.
D.Because the author's purpose was to inform, the reader learned a lot.
Challenging
Analyze the following sentence: 'While the first chapter introduces the characters, the second chapter, which is much longer, develops the central conflict.' How should this be classified?
A.run-on sentence because it has two subjects and two verbs.
B.fragment because it begins with the word 'While'.
C.correct, complete sentence.
D.comma splice because it uses multiple commas.
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Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on? is a Grade 6 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
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Is it a complete sentence, a fragment, or a run-on?
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This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.