|
Sentence Boundary Errors
Three types of sentence boundary errors appear in SSU
student writing:
Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments are sections of
text that are punctuated like complete sentences, even though they
are missing at least one major sentence element:
Even
less addictive than caffeine and nicotine.
[Intended meaning: Medical
marijuana is even less addictive than caffeine and nicotine.]
This particular sentence fragment is
easy to spot because it is missing all three major sentence
elements:
-
It does not contain a subject.
-
It does not contain a verb.
-
It does not express a complete
thought.
Fragments missing all three major
elements are most likely to appear when a student inserts a specific
example after a complete sentence:
Some children
who stay at home are not taught personal hygiene. Like
washing their hands before meals or going to the restroom.
Examples are an important part of
clear writing, but make sure your examples are part of a complete
sentence:
Some children who stay at home
are not taught personal hygiene, like washing their hands before
meals or going to the restroom.
Fragments are sometimes more
difficult to identify when they are missing only one major element.
Missing subject. The
subject is usually the agent of the action. In the following
fragment, the verb is switched, but the sentence fails to
mention who switched:
Switched to
Christianity later in life.
Missing verb. The verb
is the word that conveys action. Many of the fragments that
omit verbs do include a gerund, which is a noun formed by combining
a root verb with an -ing ending. Perhaps writers who
are proofreading hastily simply overlook the -ing endings
while skimming their texts:
Robinson's critique suggesting that Bush doesn't
understand how badly he needs to show everyone that there is no
cronyism going on.
Sometimes, the best way to correct
such fragments is to add a verb (and additional information if
needed):
Robinson's critique,
suggesting that Bush doesn't understand how badly he needs to
show everyone that there is no cronyism going on, is refuted by
Gingrich.
Other times, the best way is to
change the gerund into a verb:
Robinson's
critique suggests that Bush doesn't understand how badly
he needs to show everyone that there is no cronyism going on.
Additional information about gerunds
appears on pages 304-06 of The Longman Concise Companion.
Lack of complete thought.
Sentence fragments that contain a subject and verb but fail to
convey a complete thought are usually subordinate clauses:
Although
daycare children will continue using the workbooks.
Although is a subordinate
word; it tells readers that there should be two clauses in the
sentence:
Although daycare children will
continue using the workbooks, children who are kept home will not.
Other subordinating words include
before, because, since, and who. Look out for
these words when checking your work for fragments. See pages 306-09 of The
Longman Concise Companion for more information on subordinating
clauses.
Run-On (or Fused) Sentences
Two (or more) complete sentences that
are punctuated as if they were one sentence are called run-on
or fused sentences.
But there
was one problem she had to be home before the spell ended at
midnight.
To fix a fused sentence, turn it into
a compound sentence, a complex sentence, or two separate sentences:
Compound sentence.
But there was one problem: she had to be home before the spell
ended at midnight. [Note that in this example, the two
independent clauses are joined by a colon. More commonly,
compound sentences are joined either with a semi-colon or with a
comma and a conjunction.]
Complex sentence.
The one problem was that she had to be home before the spell
ended at midnight.
Two sentences.
But there was one problem. She had to be home before the
spell ended at midnight.
For more information on run-on
sentences, see pages 362-65 of The Longman Concise Companion.
Comma
Splices
Comma splices are similar to fused
sentences; however, the two sentences are joined with a comma
instead of without any punctuation:
Parties and
peer pressure are another disadvantage, students need to make
sure to get their work done before attempting to go out.
You fix comma splices the same way
you fix fused sentences: by changing the sentence into a compound
sentence, a complex sentence, or two sentences.
Compound sentence.
Parties and peer pressure are another disadvantage, and
students need to make sure to get their work done before
attempting to go out.
Complex sentence.
Because parties and peer pressure are another disadvantage,
students need to make sure to get their work done before
attempting to go out.
Two sentences.
Parties and peer pressure are another disadvantage.
Students need to make sure to get their work done before
attempting to go out.
See page 361 of The Longman
Concise Companion for more information about comma splices.
|
