Year 4 English: Is it a complete sentence, a fragment or a run-on?

Introduction

Hello, Year 4! Today we are going to learn about sentences. We will focus on three important types: complete sentences, fragments, and run-on sentences. Understanding these types will help you write better and clearer sentences in your work.

What is a Complete Sentence?

A complete sentence has three important parts:

1. A subject: This tells us who or what the sentence is about.
2. A verb: This tells us what the subject is doing.
3. A complete thought: It makes sense on its own.

Example:

• Complete Sentence: “The dog barks.”
  • Here, ‘the dog’ is the subject, ‘barks’ is the verb, and the thought is complete.

What is a Fragment?

A fragment is not a complete sentence. It may be missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

Example:

• Fragment: “Running in the park.”
  • This does not tell us who is running or what happens next.

Tip:

Ask yourself: “Does this express a complete idea?” If not, it’s probably a fragment.

What is a Run-On Sentence?

A run-on sentence is two or more complete sentences that are joined together without proper punctuation. They can be confusing because they don’t make clear sense.

Example:

• Run-On Sentence: “I love to read I go to the library every week.”
  • Here, there are two complete ideas that need to be separated.

Tip:

Look for places to add punctuation like a full stop (.) or a conjunction (and, but) to split the ideas.

Summary of Key Rules

1. Complete Sentence: Has a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.
2. Fragment: Missing a part of a sentence, does not express a complete idea.
3. Run-On Sentence: Two complete sentences joined incorrectly.

Questions to Practice

Easy Level (1-20)

1. Is this a complete sentence? “The cat sleeps.”
2. Is this a fragment? “In the garden.”
3. Is this a run-on? “I like cake I like ice cream.”
4. Complete or fragment? “She plays soccer.”
5. Complete or fragment? “Hiking in the mountains.”
6. Run-on or complete? “He runs fast he wins races.”
7. Complete sentence? “They are reading.”
8. Fragment? “After school.”
9. Run-on? “I have a dog I love him.”
10. Complete? “The sun shines.”
11. Fragment? “Jumping up and down.”
12. Run-on? “We went to the park we had fun.”
13. Complete? “She is my friend.”
14. Fragment? “Under the table.”
15. Run-on? “I want to go home I am tired.”
16. Complete? “He loves chocolate.”
17. Fragment? “Before the game.”
18. Run-on? “The flowers are beautiful they smell nice.”
19. Complete? “They are watching a movie.”
20. Fragment? “On the shelf.”

Medium Level (21-40)

21. Complete or fragment? “The teacher is kind.”
22. Run-on or complete? “The rain is heavy it is pouring.”
23. Fragment? “With my friends.”
24. Complete? “The train arrives at noon.”
25. Run-on? “I like reading I also like writing.”
26. Complete? “The bird sings.”
27. Fragment? “Beside the window.”
28. Run-on? “She plays the piano she practices every day.”
29. Complete? “We had pizza for dinner.”
30. Fragment? “Running through the field.”
31. Run-on? “I have a bike I ride it every day.”
32. Complete? “The stars twinkle.”
33. Fragment? “During the summer.”
34. Run-on? “The car is blue it is fast.”
35. Complete? “He paints pictures.”
36. Fragment? “In the morning.”
37. Run-on? “I enjoy swimming I go every weekend.”
38. Complete? “My brother is tall.”
39. Fragment? “After the rain.”
40. Run-on? “We will go to the zoo we will see the lions.”

Hard Level (41-60)

41. Complete or fragment? “Because it was raining.”
42. Run-on or complete? “I read a book it was very interesting.”
43. Fragment? “With great enthusiasm.”
44. Complete? “The movie was exciting.”
45. Run-on? “I have a cat she is very playful.”
46. Complete? “The cake is delicious.”
47. Fragment? “While I was sleeping.”
48. Run-on? “They play football they are very good.”
49. Complete? “The flowers bloom in spring.”
50. Fragment? “Before dinner.”
51. Run-on? “I like maths I find it fun.”
52. Complete? “My friend visits often.”
53. Fragment? “On the way home.”
54. Run-on? “It was a sunny day we went to the beach.”
55. Complete? “The plane takes off.”
56. Fragment? “After the meeting.”
57. Run-on? “She loves to dance she takes classes.”
58. Complete? “The book is on the table.”
59. Fragment? “In the middle of the night.”
60. Run-on? “I want to play outside I have to finish my homework.”

Answers with Explanations

Easy Level Answers

1. Complete Sentence
2. Fragment
3. Run-On
4. Complete Sentence
5. Fragment
6. Run-On
7. Complete Sentence
8. Fragment
9. Run-On
10. Complete Sentence
11. Fragment
12. Run-On
13. Complete Sentence
14. Fragment
15. Run-On
16. Complete Sentence
17. Fragment
18. Run-On
19. Complete Sentence
20. Fragment

Medium Level Answers

21. Complete Sentence
22. Run-On
23. Fragment
24. Complete Sentence
25. Run-On
26. Complete Sentence
27. Fragment
28. Run-On
29. Complete Sentence
30. Fragment
31. Run-On
32. Complete Sentence
33. Fragment
34. Run-On
35. Complete Sentence
36. Fragment
37. Run-On
38. Complete Sentence
39. Fragment
40. Run-On

Hard Level Answers

41. Fragment
42. Run-On
43. Fragment
44. Complete Sentence
45. Run-On
46. Complete Sentence
47. Fragment
48. Run-On
49. Complete Sentence
50. Fragment
51. Run-On
52. Complete Sentence
53. Fragment
54. Run-On
55. Complete Sentence
56. Fragment
57. Run-On
58. Complete Sentence
59. Fragment
60. Run-On

Conclusion

Great job, Year 4! Now you know how to identify complete sentences, fragments, and run-on sentences. Remember to practice these skills in your writing, and soon it will be easy for you to spot them! Happy writing!