Example:
- The waffles are almost ready. (declarative)
- What did the doctor say when you saw her? (interrogative)
- Please hand me the butter. Go to your room. (imperative)
- I just got Yo-Yo Ma’s autograph! (exclamation)
1) FRAGMENTS
Not every group of words is a sentence. A fragment is a phrase or clause that looks like a sentence but does not express a complete thought.
Example:
- Down by the river where the fish bite.
- If he would just think.
2) SENTENCES
By themselves, fragments make little sense and leave important questions unanswered. What would happen if he would just think? Who or what is down by the river where the fish bite? Fragments must be joined with other sentence parts to form a complete thought.
Example:
- We were down by the river where the fish bite.
- He could save himself so much trouble if he would just think.
3) RUN-ONS
Unlike fragments, which haven’t enough parts to make a complete sentence, run-ons have too many parts. They are two or more complete thoughts—at times only vaguely related—strung together without punctuation.
Example:
We have only three days until the band contest I don’t have my uniform repaired yet and that will take at least a day or so to do, don’t you think?
4) REVISED
Run-on sentences can be corrected in a number of ways: by inserting the proper punctuation, by breaking the sentence into two or more smaller sentences, or by rewriting the sentence to eliminate the run-on.
Example:
- We have only three days until the band contest, and I forgot to have my uniform repaired. Do you think the repairs will take more than a day or so?
- We have only three days to practice until the band contest. I forgot to have my uniform repaired. Do you think the repairs will take more than a day or so?
