A sentence fragment is a string of words that cannot form a complete thought on its own, while a run-on sentence is a sentence that is missing the right punctuation to make the sentence flow properly. Sentence fragments and run-on sentences are two of the most common errors most of us make in our writing. A complete sentence has three main elements: a subject, a predicate, and a complete thought (ability to stand alone).
Key Takeaways:
- A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that cannot convey a complete thought due to a missing component, such as a subject or predicate.
- A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are connected improperly, often due to incorrect punctuation.
- Both sentence fragments and run-on sentences are language errors that should be avoided in writing.
What is a Sentence Fragment?
A sentence fragment is another name for an incomplete sentence. In fact, this is not actually a sentence, but only a string of words. This is because a sentence fragment cannot convey a complete thought as a necessary component of the sentence is missing. Examples of sentence fragments include:
– Since I saw her at the library.
– The boy sitting on the floor, wearing a blue t-shirt.
– And told me to go.
– Students very busy at the end of the semester.
– We had just begun to have our dinner. When he came running in.
These examples are incomplete because they are missing one or more core elements of a sentence. To correct a sentence fragment, you can either remove the subordinating conjunction or add an independent clause to complete the sentence.
What is a Run On?
A run-on sentence or a fused sentence is a sentence that is missing the right punctuation to make the sentence flow properly. In other words, we make run-on sentences when we put two or more complete sentences together in one sentence without separating them properly. For example:
– She was in an accident her left leg was injured.
To correct a run-on sentence, you can either separate the independent clauses with proper punctuation or add a coordinating conjunction.
What is the Similarity Between Sentence Fragment and Run On?
Both are errors in language, and you should always try to avoid them in writing.
What is the Difference Between Sentence Fragment and Run On?
A sentence fragment is a string of words that cannot convey a complete thought, whereas a run-on sentence is a sentence that occurs when two or more independent clauses connect improperly. A sentence fragment does not have an independent clause, while a run-on sentence has more than one independent clause. In addition, a sentence fragment is missing a subject or predicate and/or is unable to convey a complete thought, whereas a run-on sentence has subjects, predicates, and is able to convey a complete thought. Sentence fragments mainly associate with missing words and dependent clauses, while run-on sentences mainly associate with improper punctuation.
Summary – Sentence Fragment vs Run On
Sentence fragments and run-on sentences are language errors we all should try to avoid. A sentence fragment is a string of words that cannot convey a complete thought, while a run-on sentence is a sentence that occurs when two or more independent clauses are connected improperly. Therefore, this is the key difference between sentence fragment and run-on.
