Transcript File

Writing Sentences
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 (predicate).
The Complete Sentence
Complete Thought
J
Sentence
Subject
Verb
A
Sentence Combining Error:
Fragments
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 Complete Thought!
No Fragments
Allowed!
J
J
J Sentence
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.
You
Turning Fragments into
Complete Sentences
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
 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.
 I love to spend time in the park it is
a very peaceful place.
Combining Sentences
Correctly
When you have 2 complete sentences, you can:
1.
2.
3.
Put a period after the first and begin the
second with a capital letter.
Use a comma and a connecting word (like
and, but, or, or so) between them.
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.