Fragments and Run-Ons: How to Fix Them and Stop the Madness

What’s This About?

Have you ever gotten a paper back with a bunch of “frag,” “R.O.,” or “run-on” scribbled/typed in the margins of a paper you wrote? You might need this guide if your instructor has ever used these mysterious codes. This guide to better sentences is here to help you figure out what’s going wrong (or right) with your sentences and how to fix them if there’s an issue.

The Basics of Sentences

As we tackle sentences and other issues in any English course (or just in life), we need to step back to become familiar with sentence structures—stuff we learned when we were young but may have dismissed while we were busy doing other things.

What shall we start with? Let’s do this: What makes a sentence complete?

So, your instructor asks you to write in full/complete sentences. Depending on your writing level, it might mean simple sentences ranging to the more complex. Regardless, there are some things that all sentences have in common. It’s not just a group of random words. The words work together in a special way!

A complete sentence needs a few essential things to make it a sentence.

1. A subject – A subject is typically defined as the what or who of a sentence.
2. A predicate – This fun term means it’s the action, the verb, or, we might say, it’s what the subject (what or who) is doing in the sentence.
3. A sentence is a complete thought—it is complete and doesn’t need help from anything to make it so. This is also an “independent clause”—it means it can stand on its own without help.

Here’s an example of a super simple sentence:

They went.

This sentence works because it has a subject (“They”) and a verb (“went”), and we understand the whole thought. Easy, right? Now, we can also get fancy and expand on this idea:

They went to the birthday party.

They went to the birthday party, even though they couldn’t skate.

Wishing they’d learned to skate before the birthday party, they went anyway to wish their classmate a happy birthday.

See how that sentence can range from simple to complex? If you are in middle or high school, you might use simpler sentences. However, if you are in college, your professor/instructor has likely asked you to write in full/complete sentences of varied lengths.

The point is that regardless of the sentence, it will always have the subject and verb and will stand alone. Otherwise, it’s a fragment (dependent clause). The following section explains some issues you might have experienced or will experience regarding sentences. You should not fear writing fragments and run-on sentences – write on and keep improving your sentence structures!

Sentence Fragments: Where’s the Rest?

A sentence fragment is like a movie that cuts off right before the ending—wait, what happens next? Fragments (incomplete sentences) usually occur because something’s missing. It might be missing a subject, a verb, or—uh oh—it might look complete but is actually just a dependent clause.

Now, dependent clauses are like the “drama queen” of sentences. They look like they should be complete sentences because they have a subject and a verb but can’t stand alone. They need help from an independent sentence to make sense. They are easy to fix once you understand them.

Check out these dependent clauses:

• After the party ended (what then?)
• Because he didn’t do his homework (what happened after that?)
• When you finally finish the paper (and then what?)
• If you want to go with them (what do you do?)

Each of these has a subject and verb, but they’re missing something vital—a complete thought! They’re begging for more info. These incomplete thoughts are the sneaky fragments you need to watch out for.

The key to spotting fragments is recognizing subordinating conjunctions (fancy words that make these dependent clauses). These words are the cause of all your fragment woes, and they show up in sentences like this:

• Comparison/Contrast: although, even though, whereas
• Time: after, before, when, until
• Cause/Effect: because, since, so that
• Possibility: if, unless, whether

If you spot one of these words, it’s like finding a clue in a mystery. It means your clause is dependent on another sentence to make sense.

For example:

• Because he didn’t take the test → This is incomplete! Add an independent clause like this: He failed the class.
  • He failed the class because he didn’t take the test. OR
  • Because he didn’t take the test, he failed the class.

Run-On Sentences: When You Just Can’t Stop

Now let’s talk about run-on sentences, or as I like to call them, the “I-will-keep-talking-until-you-can’t-breathe” sentences. These happen when you cram two complete sentences together with NO punctuation. It’s like blending two songs until it’s just noise.

Here’s an example of a run-on:

My favorite books are nonfiction they are based on true stories.

The sentence above is actually two complete thoughts jammed into one. But don’t worry, fixing it is easy! You can:

1. (my fav) Use a comma + conjunction: My favorite books are nonfiction because they are based on true stories.
2. (my second fav) Split it into two sentences: My favorite books are nonfiction. They are based on true stories.
3. Use a semicolon: My favorite books are nonfiction; they are based on true stories.
   1. Since semicolons and colons sometimes confuse students and can be cumbersome when overused, I don’t highly recommend this option. However, it is okay to use it.
4. Use subordinating conjunction: Because they are based on true stories, my favorite books are nonfiction.
5. Add a dash for emphasis: My favorite books are nonfiction – they are based on true stories.

See, it’s pretty easy to make things right. Be careful to avoid trying to fix run-on sentences by throwing a comma into them (where both sides of the comma contain a full/complete (independent clause) sentence. When that happens, you are dealing with a comma splice. You can see how that might be an issue.

For example:

My favorite books are nonfiction, they are based on true stories.

The comma here doesn’t help. It’s still a run-on sentence.

How to Find a Run-On (Without Losing Your Mind)

Finding a run-on can be tricky at first, but here’s a fun trick: ask a yes/no question about your sentence.

• Take this sentence: My favorite type of books are nonfiction they are based on true stories.
• Now, turn it into a yes/no question: Are my favorite books nonfiction? (Yes, they are!)
• Then try: Are they based on true stories? (Yes, they are!)

When you break the sentence into two questions, you can clearly see that the two thoughts need to be separated. You can’t make just one question out of the whole sentence, which shows you’ve got a run-on.

Another trick is to use a tag question:

• My favorite books are nonfiction, aren’t they? ✔️
• They are based on true stories, aren’t they? ✔️
• My favorite books are nonfiction they are based on true stories, aren’t they?❌

The tag question doesn’t work because it’s still a mess! If your sentence is a run-on, you won’t be able to tack on that “aren’t they” (or if you are discussing something singular like “book” instead of “books,” you would use “isn’t it?” at the end. In a run-on, the tag won’t make sense.

Wrapping It Up (Not With a Run-On)

So now you know how to spot fragments and run-ons. Remember: sentences need a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. If you’re unsure, try out those tricks—ask a yes/no question or try a tag question to see if your sentence is running wild. Remember, fragments are dependent on other sentences for meaning, and run-ons happen when you smoosh two complete sentences together without proper punctuation.

With these tips, your writing will be clearer, tighter, and much more fun to read—so go ahead, stop those fragments and tame those run-ons!