Transcript Writing Sentences - Brigham Young University

Writing Sentences
by
Tarasine A. Buck
Warm-Up Writing
What is your favorite place to go
when you want to relax? What
does this place look like? Why do
you like it?
Take 10-15 minutes to write about
your answers.
Questions for Discussion
What is a sentence? What parts
does a sentence need to be
complete?
A sentence is a group of words
that express a complete thought.
A complete sentence must also
have a subject and a verb.
The Complete Sentence
Complete Thought
J
Sentence
Subject
Verb
Sentence Combining Error:
Fragments
A fragment is a group of words trying very
hard to be a sentence, but not succeeding.
A fragment is missing an important part of
what it takes to be a true complete sentence.
It may be missing a subject or a verb, or it
may not be a complete idea.
No Fragments
Allowed!
J
J
J Sentence
No Complete Thought!
L
Sen
Fragment
L
L
No Subject!
No Verb!
Sample Fragments
There are three children in my family. My
older sister, my younger brother, and I.
On the street saw a small child crying.
When I went to elementary school. I
enjoyed playing with my friends.
Turning Fragments into
Complete Sentences
You can help a fragment become a
complete sentence by adding the missing
part.
L
J
Subject
Complete Sentence
Practice with Fragments
There are three children in my family. My
older sister, my younger brother, and I.
On the street saw a small child crying.
When I went to elementary school. I
enjoyed playing with my friends.
Sentence Combining Error:
Run-On Sentences
When you want to combine two or more
sentences, there are special rules you must
follow.
Sentences that are not combined correctly
often become run-on sentences. They have
too many subjects and verbs and too many
complete thoughts!
No Run-Ons
Allowed!
L
Run-On Sentence
J
J
J Sentence
Sen
Sample Run-On Sentences
I love to spend time in the park it is a very
peaceful place.
The ocean is my favorite place to go, it
helps me to relax.
I walked down to the library and I found a
book that I liked so I checked it out.
Combining Sentences Correctly
When you have 2 complete sentences, you can:
1. Put a period after the first and begin the
second with a capital letter.
2. Use a comma and a connecting word (like
and, but, or, or so) between them.
3. Use a semicolon (;) between them.
Practice with Run-On Sentences
I love to spend time in the park it is a very
peaceful place.
The ocean is my favorite place to go, it
helps me to relax.
I walked down to the library and I found a
book that I liked so I checked it out.
One More Rule!
In more formal English writing, we do not
begin sentences with connecting words like
and, but, or so. Try to connect these
sentences to the sentence before or take out
the connecting word.
You can also replace these words with:
and=in addition, but=however, so=as a
result
Practice with Connecting Words
I feel very tired. So I want to go to bed.
I walked down to the beach with my friend.
And we spent the entire evening looking for
shells.
I did not want to leave the party. But I
knew I needed to return home soon.