Post #5 by J.B. (A/F Block) A fragment does not have an independent clause in it. Fragments can be pieces that have been disconnected from the main clause. To fix a sentence like this you remove the words in between the main clause and the broken piece. A fragment fails to be a sentence in the sense that it cannot stand by itself. Sometimes a fragment misses a subject and verb relationship. Fragments have a subject and a verb so they look like a good sentence but they are not. To be a good sentence fragments have to express a complete thought. To identify the fragment, look for a subject, verb, and a complete thought. You can eliminate or put words in the sentence to fix a fragment. There is a debate going on all the time: speaking fragments vs. writing fragments. We speak in fragments all the time like when someone asks you, "How are you doing?" You say, "Good." The people for making it okay to write in fragments say, "We speak in fragments. Why can't we write in fragments?" The people for just speaking, and NOT writing in fragments, say, "We already talk in fragments. Why should we write in them?" The people for just speaking fragments and NOT writing fragments also say, "When we write a story it is there for forever, but when we respond to someone saying, 'Good,' only that person hears it.

Post #4 - Written by F.T. (C/D Block) Fragments are parts of a sentence. They are not a full sentences, nor are they full thoughts. The only way to make a fragment a full sentence, or to complete the thought, is to add more words. For example, ‘very thirsty’ would be a fragment. You don’t know who this fragment is about as it is missing a subject. To complete that sentence fragment you have to add some words. It could be, “I am very thirsty,” or, “Mary is very thirsty,” to become a full sentence. There is no controversy that sentence fragments are incorrect grammar and should be completed. Writers, however, use sentence fragments regularly when writing in conversation because people talk using fragments all the time. They may also use fragments to emphasize their points. For example, they may end a paragraph with, “Shocking!” or “Beyond scary!” to make their point stronger. Fragments are used in the same way in other languages. “Grammar Vids for Kids: Sentence Fragments.” YouTube. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. . “Sentence Fragments.” Purdue Owl. Web. 27 July. 2011. .

Run-Ons: Written versus Spoken Language

Post #3 (Mrs. Adkins, with ideas borrowed from L.R. - C/D Bell) One point which I consider incredibly interesting from a post written by L.R. is that run-on sentences are used in literature to "speak for someone" (as L.R. wrote). Authors may use run-on sentences to show the process of thinking through an idea. An author may also use a run-on sentence to show hurried or confused speech or dialogue. L.R. made the point that when people are talking, "they are often using run-on sentences." Well, not necessarily, but L.R.'s idea about run-on sentences in speech and literature shows that authors often have a specific purpose in their writing. The author is most likely using run-on sentences to convey a certain idea. The difference between spoken and written language is also highlighted by L.R.'s thought. One may choose to speak in run-on sentences (which probably does not happen as often as we think), but one may not write in run-on sentences without a literary intention (at least, not in the 6th grade at The Summit Country Day School)! Sources for L.R.'s article: "Definition of Run-On Sentence." Google. Web. 2 December 2012. "Run-On Sentence." Wikipedia. 1 December 2012. Web. 2 December 2012.

More Information about Run-On Sentences

Post #2 Written by D.B. (E/B Bell)

A run on sentence is when two independent clauses are joined without the proper use of a conjunction or punctuation. An author would not use it unless he was being incredibly descriptive, usually using multiple “ands.” There doesn’t seem to be a controversy because run-on sentences are unacceptable. It works the same in other languages but doesn’t matter as much. Nobody really thinks run-on sentences should be used. The only times run-ons are used commonly is when the author is being descriptive. Run on sentences are usually considered a stylistic error. People think that run on sentences are just long sentences, but really they can be only 4 words long such as: “I run, she walks.” Sources: grammar.ccc.comment.edu; owl.english.purdue.edu

The Complete Guide to Run-On Sentences

Post #1 Written by J.D. (A/F Bell) A run-on sentence is a written sequence of two or more independent clauses that are not properly connected. It is important to know that each of the two independent clauses can stand by themselves. Example: The sun is high, put on some sunblock. It is also essential to know that the length of the sentence has nothing to do with determining if it is run-on or not. There are, in fact, many ways to fix a run-on sentence. You could add a semicolon: The sun is high; put on some sunblock. You could add a comma and conjunction: The sun is high, so put on some sunblock. You could also add a period at the end of the first clause and capitalize the beginning of the second: The sun is high. Put on some sunblock. The example sentence above is also a certain kind of run-on sentence. It is called a comma splice. This is when two independent clauses are connected only by a comma without a conjunction. You can fix a comma splice the same way you fix a run-on sentence. To support my point that length doesn’t have much to do with the sentence, I have included a sentence that is 239 words long but is structurally correct. I found this very interesting because I cannot see how one can write one sentence this long! “Knowing that millions of people around the world would be watching in person and on television and expecting great things from him — at least one more gold medal for America, if not another world record — during this, his fourth and surely his last appearance in the World Olympics, and realizing that his legs could no longer carry him down the runway with the same blazing speed and confidence in making a huge, eye-popping leap that they were capable of a few years ago when he set world records in the 100-meter dash and in the 400-meter relay and won a silver medal in the long jump, the renowned sprinter and track-and-field personality Carl Lewis, who had known pressure from fans and media before but never, even as a professional runner, this kind of pressure, made only a few appearances in races during the few months before the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, partly because he was afraid of raising expectations even higher and he did not want to be distracted by interviews and adoring fans who would follow him into stores and restaurants demanding autographs and photo-opportunities, but mostly because he wanted to conserve his energies and concentrate, like a martial arts expert, on the job at hand: winning his favorite competition, the long jump, and bringing home another Gold Medal for the United States, the most fitting conclusion to his brilliant career in track and field.” Sources: “Run-on Sentences, Comma Splices.” Guide to Grammar & Writing. 2004. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.

Introduction

Welcome to OPA! Grammar Style! This blog is maintained by the 6th grade Language Arts students at the Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, Ohio. For each grammatical concept, students are to research or watch a video about the concept at home. Students come to class with notes about the concept. We discuss and work through the concept during class. By Friday, students are to submit their blog post. Mrs. Adkins chooses two blog posts each week to post. The blog posts are two paragraphs long, consisting of one paragraph which explains the rules regarding the grammatical concept and one paragraph which describes an investigitive element of the concept (for example, any controversy surrounding the concept; how this grammatical concept works in other languages; why/how an author would disregard this concept and for what purpose; an interesting example of this grammatical concept).