Sentence Structure Problems: Fragments and Run-Ons

Let’s continue our series of grammar-focused articles with some basics: sentences!

Specifically, we’re going to discuss sentence fragments and run-on sentences, two terms you may have heard in school and have probably been taught to avoid at ALL costs!

And I’m not here to tell you to ignore all the rules, but I will say that this is an area where I like to break the rules at times. 

What is a Sentence?

First, let’s talk about what a complete sentence is. A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb. It is possible to have a sentence with just two words: “I am.” But this is less common, so we’ll say that a full sentence includes a subject, a verb, and some additional information.

What is a Sentence Fragment?

Simply put, if a sentence is missing any of the required parts (subject or verb), it’s considered a fragment—or incomplete—sentence. It’s very common to see writers drop the subject when creating the fragment:

          Example: Call you later.

We have half the verb “call” and the object “you,” but we are missing the subject. It’s implied that the subject is “I,” right? So, to make this grammatically correct, we’d fix it like this:

          Fix: I’ll call you later.

Now we have the full verb “will call” and the subject “I.” It’s a complete sentence. That said, because this happens more often in dialogue, many times, we’d just leave it as is. 

Let’s look at another common sentence fragment that will ALWAYS need fixing:

          Example: Growing up in Minnesota, I’ve been able to partake in so many fun                    winter activities. For example, sledding, skiing, and snow-fort making.

The first sentence is complete, but the second sentence is not. It attempts to provide clarification to the first sentence, but it’s missing both the subject and the verb. I see this A LOT, where the phrase “for example” will be followed by a list like this. It might make sense in regular speech, but in the written word, it’s not correct. Let’s fix it!

          Fix #1: Growing up in Minnesota, I’ve been able to partake in so many fun winter              activities such as sledding, skiing, and snow fort making.

While this does lengthen the first sentence, it’s not what I would consider “too long.” However, this is the inherent problem with tacking on an incomplete sentence to the end of a complete sentence—it can get long and unwieldy (and then we have to look at whether this thing is actually a run-on instead! We’ll cover that next.).

Here’s another fix option that takes length into consideration:

           Fix #2: Growing up in Minnesota, I’ve been able to partake in so many fun winter             activities. For example, my family spends time sledding, skiing, and snow fort                     making.

We’ve simply inserted the subject “my family” and the verb “spends,” making this line complete!

Now, you may be wondering whether fragments always need to be fixed. Here’s where it gets fun for me. I actually LOVE using sentence fragments to infuse a bit of drama and energy in my writing. It creates more of a casual, conversational tone. I think it makes you as the writer feel more approachable to your readers. 

Yes, this is one rule that I will say you CAN break, but you do need to be mindful of it. If you use fragments too frequently, your writing will feel choppy and it can be very frustrating to read.

Also, I’d avoid it in more formal writing (anything to do with business or education), but within a memoir, self-help, or personal development book, or something even more informal (blog post, for example), you can get away with using it effectively to enhance your writing!

Let’s break this down. Here’s an example to consider:

             Example: I never thought he would do this to me. Never. Not in a million years.

Can you see that we have two fragments here? But it doesn’t feel like anything is missing, does it? Are you confused as to the meaning?

I like that it sounds punchy, direct, and full of emotion—it really hits the point home that the writer NEVER thought this could EVER happen.

What if we try to fix it? This is how it would read:

              Attempted Fix: I never thought he would do this to me. I never imagined he                      would do it, not even in a million years.

It’s longer and a bit clunky, but it is more formal and the sentences are complete.

So, again, this is definitely a stylistic decision. I personally love using fragments, but they aren’t the right fit for every writer or every piece of writing. Do what you feel comfortable with, and keep your reader in mind as well!

What is a Run-On Sentence?

A run-on sentence is one that typically contains too much information, not necessarily because it’s just too lengthy. A run-on most often is caused because two independent clauses (two complete sentences) are smushed together without a conjunction or proper punctuation.

          Example: He is really good with people they always call him for advice.

Here, we have two thoughts without any connection at all. It’s not a ton of words (meaning, too long), but it’s too much information in one sentence. Let’s fix it:

          Fix #1: He is really good with people; they always call him for advice.

          Fix #2: He is really good with people, and they always call him for advice.

          Fix #3: He is really good with people. They always call him for advice.

Any of these fixes would be considered correct—what you choose to use comes down to style and flow.

NOTE: Some consider the “comma splice” to be a form of run-on sentence as well. With the above example, it looks like this:

            He is really good with people, they always call him for advice.

Again, it’s two independent clauses, but the difference here is that it does include punctuation. What’s missing is the conjunction. A comma cannot do the job alone here, so it’s still considered a run-on and needs to be fixed!

Now off you go to write some amazing grammatically correct sentences—so many that you actually end up writing a whole book! 

Creatively yours,