Exercise : Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses
A comma splice is the use of a comma between two independent clauses. You can usually fix the error by changing the comma to a period and therefore making the two clauses into two separate sentences, by changing the comma to a semicolon, or by making one clause dependent by inserting a dependent marker word in front of it.
The following sentences in italics are incorrect. In the first question, fix the comma splice 1. Incorrect: I like this class, it is very interesting. Repair the Fused Sentence
Fused sentences happen when there are two independent clauses not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also known as a run-on sentence. The error can sometimes be corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate the two sentences. 2. Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I've learned a lot from her. Fix the Sentence Fragment
Sentence fragments happen by treating a dependent clause or other incomplete thought as a complete sentence. You can usually fix this error by combining it with another sentence to make a complete thought or by removing the dependent marker. 3. Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was today.
Answer : Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses
1. I like this class. It is very interesting. -OR-
I like this class; it is very interesting. -OR-
I like this class, and it is very interesting. -OR-
I like this class because it is very interesting. -OR-
Because it is very interesting, I like this class.
2. My professor is intelligent. I've learned a lot from her. -OR-
My professor is intelligent; I've learned a lot from her. -OR-
My professor is intelligent, and I've learned a lot from her. -OR-
My professor is intelligent; moreover, I've learned a lot from her. 3. Because I forgot the exam was today, I didn't study. -OR-
I forgot the exam was today.
Exercise : Sentence Fragments Exercise 1
The sentences below appeared in papers written by students. Act as their editor, marking a C if the sentences in the group are all complete and an F if any of the sentences in the group is a fragment. Could you tell these writers why the fragments are incomplete sentences?
____ 1. Then I attended Morris Junior High. A junior high that was a bad experience.
____ 2. The scene was filled with beauty. Such as the sun sending its brilliant rays to the earth and the leaves of various shades of red, yellow, and brown moving slowly in the wind.
____ 3. He talked for fifty minutes without taking his eyes off his notes. Like other teachers in that department, he did not encourage students' questions.
____ 4. Within each group, a wide
range of features to choose from. It was difficult to distinguish between them. ____ 5. A few of the less serious fellows would go into a bar for a steak dinner and a few glasses of beer. After this meal, they were ready for anything. ____ 6. It can be really embarrassing to be so emotional. Especially when you are on your first date, you feel that you should be in control.
____ 7. The magazine has a reputation for a sophisticated, prestigious, and elite group of readers. Although that is a value judgment and in circumstances not a true premise.
____ 8. In the seventh grade every young boy goes out for football. To prove to himself and his parents that he is a man.
____ 9. She opened the door and let us into her home. Not realizing at the time that we would never enter that door in
her home again.
____10. As Christmas grows near, I find myself looking back into my childhood days at fun-filled times of snowball fights. To think about this makes me happy.
____11. Making up his mind quickly. Jim ordered two dozen red roses for his wife. Hoping she would accept his apology.
____12. They were all having a good time. Until one of Joe's oldest and best friends had a little too much to drink. ____13. Although it only attained a speed of about twelve miles an hour. My old rowboat with its three-horsepower motor seemed like a high-speed job to me.
____14. With my brother standing by my side, I reached for the pot handle. Tilting the pot way too much caused the boiling water to spill.
____15. The small, one-story houses are all the same size and style. With no difference except the color.
____16. Being a friend of mine like he was when we first joined the soccer team. Together we learned a lot. Answer : Exercise 1
Sentence
Fragments
Incorrect parts are in italics with justifications in bold.
F 1. Then I attended Morris Junior High. A junior high that was a bad experience. (dependent clause)
F 2. The scene was filled with beauty. Such as the sun sending its brilliant rays to the earth and the leaves of various shades of red, yellow, and brown moving slowly in the wind. (dependent clause)