📚 Detailed Explanation of Is it a Complete Sentence, a Fragment or a Run-On?
When learning English in Year 6, it is important to understand the difference between a complete sentence, a sentence fragment, and a run-on sentence. These three things help us write clearly and make sense.
✍️ What is a Complete Sentence?
A complete sentence has a subject and a verb, and it shows a full idea. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark.
Example of a complete sentence:
– The dog chased the ball.
(“The dog” is the subject and “chased” is the verb.)
Complete sentences are the building blocks of good writing. They follow the national curriculum rules by expressing a clear thought.
🧩 What is a Sentence Fragment?
A sentence fragment is a part of a sentence that does not have a complete idea. It might be missing a subject or a verb or doesn’t finish the thought. Because of this, it’s not a full sentence.
Example of a fragment:
– Running down the street.
(This tells what someone is doing but doesn’t say who is running.)
To fix a fragment, you add what is missing to make it a complete sentence. Sentence fragments can confuse readers, so we try to avoid them.
🚫 What is a Run-On Sentence?
A run-on sentence happens when two or more complete sentences are joined together without the right punctuation or words to separate them. This can make the sentence hard to understand.
Example of a run-on sentence:
– I love to read it is my favourite hobby.
This should be separated like this:
– I love to read. It is my favourite hobby.
or joined with a connecting word:
– I love to read because it is my favourite hobby.
📝 Summary
- A complete sentence has a subject, a verb, and a complete idea.
- A sentence fragment is missing some parts and is not a full sentence.
- A run-on sentence incorrectly joins two complete sentences without proper punctuation or joining words.
Knowing how to spot these types helps you write clearly and meet the Year 6 English requirements in the UK. Always check your writing to make sure each sentence is complete and easy to understand.
📝 20 Examination-Style Questions with Answers on Complete Sentences, Fragments, and Run-Ons
🔍 Recognising Complete Sentences, Fragments, and Run-Ons
- Identify the sentence type:
“She likes to read books.”
Answer: Complete sentence - Identify the sentence type:
“Because he was tired.”
Answer: Fragment (it is missing the main part of the sentence) - Identify the sentence type:
“I went to the shops I bought some sweets.”
Answer: Run-on (two sentences joined without proper punctuation) - Identify the sentence type:
“Running down the street.”
Answer: Fragment (it has no subject or main verb) - Identify the sentence type:
“They played football and won the match.”
Answer: Complete sentence
🛠️ Correcting Sentence Errors
- Correct the fragment:
“After the rain stopped.”
Answer: Add main clause:
“After the rain stopped, we went outside.” - Correct the run-on:
“I enjoy pizza I eat it every Friday.”
Answer:
“I enjoy pizza. I eat it every Friday.” or “I enjoy pizza, and I eat it every Friday.” - Correct the fragment:
“Because the dog barked loudly.”
Answer: Add main clause:
“Because the dog barked loudly, the neighbours woke up.” - Correct the run-on:
“He likes swimming she prefers cycling.”
Answer:
“He likes swimming. She prefers cycling.” or “He likes swimming, but she prefers cycling.” - Correct the fragment:
“After the party ended.”
Answer: Add main clause:
“After the party ended, everyone went home.”
🔎 Identification and Explanation in Context
- Is this a complete sentence, fragment or run-on?
“The big brown dog.”
Answer: Fragment (it lacks a verb or complete thought) - Is this a complete sentence, fragment or run-on?
“The boy ate his lunch, and then he went to play.”
Answer: Complete sentence (compound sentence joined correctly) - Is this a complete sentence, fragment or run-on?
“She can sing she can dance.”
Answer: Run-on (missing proper punctuation between two independent clauses) - Is this a complete sentence, fragment or run-on?
“While waiting for the bus.”
Answer: Fragment (subordinate clause without main clause) - Is this a complete sentence, fragment or run-on?
“They rode their bikes to the park.”
Answer: Complete sentence
🌟 Applying Knowledge to New Examples
- Fix the run-on and explain why it is a run-on:
“The sun is shining we should go outside.”
Answer:
Corrected: “The sun is shining. We should go outside.”
Explanation: Two independent sentences joined without punctuation make it a run-on. - Fix the fragment and explain why it is a fragment:
“Because it was raining.”
Answer:
Corrected: “Because it was raining, we stayed indoors.”
Explanation: It is a fragment as it does not express a full idea without a main clause. - Which is correct?
a) “She opened the door and walked in.”
b) “She opened the door walked in.”
Answer: a) is a complete sentence.
b) is a run-on because it lacks a conjunction or punctuation. - Which is a fragment?
a) “After the movie, we went to the shop.”
b) “After the movie.”
Answer: b) is a fragment (no main clause) - Explain why this is a run-on and fix it:
“He likes cats they are very playful.”
Answer: It is a run-on because it contains two complete ideas joined without punctuation.
Fixed: “He likes cats; they are very playful.” or “He likes cats. They are very playful.”
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These questions help Year 6 students to practise recognising and correcting complete sentences, fragments, and run-ons, which are important skills for writing clearly and following the National Curriculum.
