Clauses, Fragments, Run-ons & Comma Splices

Although he had been an often decorated soldier during World War II and had fought many battles for the losing cause of liberalism in Congress.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  Run-on: put a comma after World War II.

• C.

  Run-on: put a semicolon after World War II.

• D.

  Fragment: put a comma after Congress and finish the sentence.

This is going to be the most difficult exam of your college career, you had better start studying for it immediately.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  Fragment: put a comma after immediately and finish the sentence.

• C.

  Run-on: replace that comma with a semicolon.

Knowing better than anyone else how the state legislature had ignored the needs of the community college system and created a crisis characterized by an uneducated workforce that had no place to go for proper training and realizing that someone had to do something about the situation or the state would begin to lose jobs to states in the American south that were more aggressive in providing and publicizing excellence in education, Representative Fuentes began to lay plans for an education bill that took into consideration the needs of the state's community colleges and the students who attended them.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  This sentence is too long; it must be a run-on.

• C.

  Even though this sentence is very long, it is actually a fragment.

She ran.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  Fragment: the sentence is too short and needs more details to be a complete thought.

Perplexed by the rising rates of inflation and alarmed by the decline in major construction projects.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  Run-on: put a comma after inflation.

• C.

  Fragment: put a comma after projects and finish the sentence.

If we're ever going to get out of here in time, we're going to have to re-write all these papers, set up the desks, and clean the chalkboards; stack those books in the corner and clean up the mess around the wastebasket; notify security about the broken window, the thermostat that Raoul messed up, and the desk that was stolen before we even got here.

• A.

  There is nothing wrong with the structure of this sentence.

• B.

  Run-on: the sentence should be broken into three smaller sentences.

• C.

  Fragment: although the sentence is very long, it's missing a verb string.

• D.

  Run-on: change those two semicolons to commas.

The doctor told Charlie to lose weight and exercise vigorously for forty-five minutes a day.

• A.

  This sentence has two independent clauses.

• B.

  This sentence has no independent clauses.

• C.

  This sentence has one independent clause.

That she can make him do the excercises but not stick to the diet.

• A.

  The part in blue is the independent clause.

• B.

  This sentence has two independent clauses.

• C.

  This sentence has no independent clause.

He is very good as long as Miss Bongiorno is around, but he goes to the freezer for ice-cream when she leaves.

• A.

  This sentence has three independent clauses.

• B.

  This sentence has two independent clauses.

• C.

  This sentence has one independent clause.

Entrepreneurship is the study of small businesses, college students are embracing it enthusiastically.

My father is chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, he also heads the Warrant Commission.

All over the country, people sell products over the Internet, these people are making impressive profits.

One person had been exporting farm equipment, in fact he exports over 30,000 pieces of machinery a year.

Although women's college basketball in Connecticut is a marvelously entertaining and popular sport. It not hard to remember. When it was not so popular. Which is hard to believe. Only a few years ago, my friends and I to go to a women's basketball game. And we could get seats for free near center court. Especially on Sunday afternoons. Of course, that before names such as Rebeccca Lobo, Jenn Rizzotti, and Kara Wolters became household words. Lobo's book, HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE, which she wrote with her mother. A best-seller in Connecticut. If more than a couple of hundred fans showed up for a game. It was considered a big turnout. And games were played in practically silent gyms. Because the fans didn't care who won. Nowadays, it almost impossible to buy tickets to a women's game, and you can't get seats. Unless you know someone.