Gloria & Audrey Harchar

Look at the following sentence.

• I saw a teacher who cares.

The author may have wanted to write–

• I saw a teacher.  Who cares?

Using periods–and other forms of punctuation–and knowing when to end a sentence are very important.  If you don’t end a sentence appropriately, the intended meaning can be changed, or it can be misunderstood.  Sometimes the meaning is simply incomprehensible.

When a person learns to write English sentences, essays, stories, and compositions, one common problem is writing sentences that are too long.

Another problem is sentences that are too short. When a sentence ends too quickly, it is called a sentence fragment, (i.e., it doesn’t have a subject and a verb, which are the two main ingredients of a complete sentence).

When a sentence has too many ideas, runs on too long, or is two sentences hooked together, it is called a run-on sentence. If you have this problem, don’t worry.  It’s easy to fix.

The first thing you need to do is identify when a sentence is a run-on. A run-on (or run-on sentence) is a sentence that really has two sentences–or two complete ideas–incorrectly combined into one.  It’s okay to combine two sentences into one, but you must follow some rules.

You might be wondering: “What is a sentence?”  A sentence consists of 3 things:
1 subject the person, place, or thing performing or doing the action

2 verb the action
3 complete idea the reader isn’t left waiting for another word

Take a look at this sentence:

I threw the ball.
Subject=I

Verb=threw

I threw … what? The ball.

Is it a complete idea? Yes.

Therefore, this is a good sentence.

The ball is a direct object.  Not all sentences require a direct object. For example

Horses gallop.

Subject=horses

Verb=gallop

Is it a complete idea? Yes.

There is no direct object here; however, it is still a complete idea and a good sentence.

Here’s another example.

Subject=I

Verb=take

Is it a complete idea? No. I take…what? The “what” is missing.

This sentence needs a direct object.  (This sentence is called a sentence fragment.)  The verb determines whether the sentence requires a direct object or not.  If the sentence needs a direct object, it is called a transitive verb.  If the verb doesn’t need a direct object, it is called an intransitive verb.  If you are unsure about some verbs, use a dictionary.  Dictionaries often denote transitive and intransitive verbs with the initials t.v. and i.v., respectively.

Here’s one more example.

Subject=Brandon and Jeremy

Verb=takes and rides

Is it a complete idea? It is two complete ideas.

This last example is a run-on sentence: These two complete sentences–or ideas–are incorrectly combined. The sentence lacks signal words that lets the reader know when to stop or pause. A part of a sentence that can be a sentence by itself is called an independent clause.  This last example has two independent clauses.

Summary

If you put two sentences (or independent clauses) together without a sufficient amount of signals–such as commas, semicolons, or connecting words–you have created a run-on.

How do you fix run-ons?

There are four common ways to fix a run-on. Each method is explained below.

Method #1

Write the two independent clauses as separate sentences using periods.

• INCORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy she felt Rome was too hot.
• CORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy. She felt Rome was too hot.

Method #2

Use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses.  If you would like to learn more about semicolons.

• INCORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy she felt Rome was too hot.
• CORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy; she felt Rome was too hot.

Method #3
Use a comma and any one of the following connecting words: for* and  nor  but or yet so**
*when for means because

**when so means as a result

• INCORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy she felt Rome was too hot.
• CORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy, but she felt Rome was too hot.

Method #4

Use a semicolon and one of the following words:
therefore, thus, however, consequently,furthermore, also, nevertheless,

NOTE: If you use any of these connecting words with method #4, a comma must follow it.

• INCORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy she felt Rome was too hot.
• CORRECT KeYanna loved traveling in Italy; however, she felt Rome was too hot.

NOTE: When using semicolons, the two independent clauses must share a related or common idea. You cannot write the following sentence.

• Sophia loves hot chocolate; Deanna is watching TV. (WRONG!)
• The two clauses above are completely unrelated.

Quiz

Directions: The following sentences are all run-ons. Correct them using any of the four methods. There may be more than one correct answer.

1. The girls played baseball the boys played basketball.

2. Einstein is famous for E=mc² Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite movie I love eating pizza.

4. Americans shake hands when they meet the Japanese bow.

5. Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.

6. Trevor loved visiting London Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.

7. My roadster broke down I need to buy a new radiator.

8. At one time few people had enough money to buy books few people could read books.

9. Aaron wants to learn German Robert wants to learn Gaelic.

10. People love peace they despise war.

Work out the problems above, and then compare your solutions with the ones below:

1. The girls played basketball the boys played tennis.

Answers:
The girls played baseball. The boys played basketball
The girls played baseball;the boys played basketball.
The girls played baseball, but the boys played basketball.
The girls played baseball; however, the boys played basketball.

2. Einstein is famous for E=mc² Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.

Answers:
Einstein is famous for E=mc². Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.
Einstein is famous for E=mc²; Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.
Einstein is famous for E=mc², but Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.
Einstein is famous for E=mc²; however, Bessimer is famous for the invention of steel.

3. The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite movie I love eating pizza.

Answers:
The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite movie. I love eating pizza.
This sentence cannot be fixed with the other methods because the two independent clauses do not share similar or related ideas.

4. Americans shake hands when they meet the Japanese bow.

Answers:
Americans shake hands when they meet. The Japanese bow.
Americans shake hands when they meet; the Japanese bow.
Americans shake hands when they meet, but the Japanese bow.
Americans shake hands when they meet; however, the Japanese bow.

5. Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.

Answers:
Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.
Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday; Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.
Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday, and Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.
Mother’s Day is always on a Sunday; however, Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.

6. Trevor loved visiting London Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.

Answers:
Trevor loved visiting London. Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.
Trevor loved visiting London; Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.
Trevor loved visiting London, but Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.
Trevor loved visiting London; nevertheless, Larcen preferred just to stay in Ponca City.

7. My roadster broke down I need to buy a new radiator.

Answers:
My roadster broke down. I need to buy a new radiator.
My roadster broke down; I need to buy a new radiator.My roadster broke down, so I need to buy a new radiator.
My roadster broke down; therefore I need to buy a new radiator.

8. At one time few people had enough money to buy books few people could read books.

Answers:
At one time few people had enough money to buy books. Few people could read books.
At one time few people had enough money to buy books; few people could read books.
At one time few people had enough money to buy books, and few people could read books.
At one time few people had enough money to buy books; also, few people could read books.

9. Aaron wants to learn German Robert wants to learn Gaelic.

Answers:
Aaron wants to learn German. Robert wants to learn Gaelic.
Aaron want to learn German; Robert wants to learn Gaelic.
Aaron wants to learn German, and Robert wants to learn Gaelic.
Aaron wants to learn German; however, Robert wants to learn Gaelic.

10. People love peace they hate war.

Answers:
People love peace. They hate war.
People love peace; they hate war.
People love peace, but they hate war.
People love peace; however, they hate war.

Rules to Remember!

The above sentences are all examples of two independent clauses forming run-on sentences.  Sometimes three or more independent clauses are inappropriately written together, and the result is a very long run-on sentence.  We suggest that in these types of situations, use a combination of the above methods.  Take a look at the example below.Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio they loved experimenting with flying machines they built the Wright Flyer in 1903.

This sentence is a run-on with three independent clauses. We can use various combinations of the above methods to fix the problem. By applying methods 4 and 1, we get Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio; however, they loved experimenting with flying machines.  They built the Wright Flyer in 1903.

Don’t string several independent clauses together with semicolons.  The following example is usually not written.

Orville and Wilbur Wright had a bicycle-making business in Ohio; they loved  experimenting with flying machines; they built the Wright Flyer in 1903.
Some people may ask, “Which of the above methods is best?”  That answer is not so simple.  Sometimes any of the methods are equally correct; at other times, only one or two methods may truly be appropriate for a situation. This knowledge will come as the writer reads a variety of English material. Also, don’t overuse any one method.  Correctly using different methods often shows good writing.  When a person first learns to write, he/she uses method 1 extensively. It is important for the writer to go beyond method 1 and use the other methods.  This will show a maturity in the author’s writing.

Most people feel pretty confident about judging a piece of writing when they read it. They either like it or they don’t. However, producing a writing piece is something altogether different.

How Do Good Writers Do It?

A Process—Parts of the process are individual and parts of the process are collaborative!

• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Revising—adding things in; taking things out
• Editing—collaborating with other people is useful in this step
• Publishing—or present your work to the public

Prewriting—the writing before you REALLY write

Questions to ask—

• What am I writing about? Let’s say you want to write about soccer.

• For whom am I writing? That is, what is my target audience? Are you writing an essay or article for other students, explaining why soccer is such a great sport? Or are you writing to parents, telling them why they should allow and encourage their kids to learn how to play soccer? Whoever you are targeting will dictate to you how to write the article. You will take a different approach for each of these audiences.

• What is important or interesting about this? Why would people care?

• What do people already know about this topic? What can I teach them?

• Why am I writing about this? What do I want someone to take from this?

Different kinds of Prewriting to Organize Your Thoughts:

• Free write in a journal—some people think best through words
• Venn Diagrams—some people like a visual that lays out ideas more sharply. Let’s go back to the soccer idea. Let’s say you decide to compare field sports—soccer to football. Which is interesting because most people call soccer football. Americans are the only ones who play football the way we do. On the left you have soccer rules, and descriptions. On the right you have football rules and descriptions. In the middle are the things that both sports have in common.
• Idea chart—(good example of this is the software program Inspiration)—use circles to write ideas in. Maybe you’re going to write about habitats—which is your central topic. Maybe you’re going to talk about animals in their habitats, or about plants. Maybe you’re going to talk about the definition of a habitat and this is going to be an expository essay. (Remember Expository means information or background, when we were talking about the structure of stories).  In your expository you will probably want to give examples of different habitats, such as rain forests, or deserts. Maybe in the desert subtopic you want to talk about the role of nurse plants that take care of young plants by protecting them from the sun. Then you might want to give examples of different plants that do this. Drawing it out like this will help you to see that one end of your drawing is more focused, and this will help you narrow down exactly what you want to write about.

Drafting: Scotch-Taping Your Thoughts

When you write a draft:

• It should feel complete and clear. It is good writing, but probably not GREAT yet. The draft is sometimes referred to as The Sloppy Copy. Yes, it’s probably a little sloppy, yet it is COMPLETE, it should feel finished, it should feel good. You are finished with it, but you don’t want to publish it yet because there are probably grammar errors, things you want to elaborate on, stronger sentences, verbs, etc.
• Organize your thoughts clearly.
• Include all the parts of formal writing: Introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Don’t freak out about spelling and grammar. You want people to be able to read it and understand what you’re saying, but there’s going to be a lot of spelling errors and grammar problems—that’s okay! At this point, you don’t want to impede or hinder that writing process of just telling what you want to tell—whether it’s a story or an exposition or an opinion article, etc.
• The reason you want it complete is because the next step is the revision process, where you will want feedback. If you just give someone a paragraph, that person will only be able to say “You only have a paragraph. You need more.” You want to be able to ask the person you want to read it—”Okay, how can I make this better? What aspect or idea am I missing?”
• Try to write for your audience. If you’re writing for a bunch of kids, try to use kid language. If you’re writing for senators, you’re going to use more formal language. If you are writing an opinion paper, where you want to influence your audience versus just telling a story—your language and approach will be much different.

Revisit and Revise. Call in the Troops!

Good reviewers include:

• You (But you need distance. You can always see your mistakes or where you can flesh out your ideas when you’ve just finished the article five minutes ago. Just set your writing aside for a couple of days, or a week if you can. Then pick it up and read it cold. You’ll see your mistakes and where you need to explain stuff more. You’ll also see where it’s really great and you’ll find yourself saying “Wow, I did a great job with that!”
• A teacher
• A parent or other adult—someone you know who loves to read and will give good feedback
• Your peers—choose people you trust has your best interest at heart.
• Someone from your target audience—if you are writing about soccer to parents, ask a parent to give you feedback on your ideas, your organization of the piece, etc.
• Group reviews—give it to a group of people who get together and hash out your ideas, where it can be expanded or improved, what works in the piece.
• Multiple readers—give your piece to several different people over time and get individual feedback. If several people mention problems with the same area, it probably does need work. This helps.

When you Revise, Remember

• Your focus when Revising should be on IDEAS and organization. Ask yourself, does this idea work? Is it clear? Is it organized well?

• Is the piece appropriate for the audience? That is, is the topic appropriate? Is it needed? Will my audience be interested in it?

• Do you have a strong and interesting introduction and conclusion? First impressions and final impressions are the most vital in any piece. Spend time on thinking about your first sentence. How can I grab my audience and keep them reading through the entire piece? The Hook!

• Do ideas fit where they are placed? Do I need a transition sentence? Is the overall organization logical?

• Is there enough information? Do you stay on topic? Do you provide relevant information?

• Do you make the reader care? Sometimes you have to write about something you don’t really care about. But you must write about it because this is your assignment.  If you don’t care, this will show in your writing. Find an angle that will make you care more about it.

• Does it have a natural flow with strong transitions?

• Read it aloud! This will help you to see whether it sounds natural. Find where you left out words, or it sounds funky.

Editing: The Great Clean-Up!

• Your focus here is grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.
• Get someone you think is better at those things than you are to be your editor.
• If there are specific rules you aren’t sure of, check with your teacher or a style guide.
• Don’t blindly trust the computer’s spell check! Spell check is wonderful, but it doesn’t always catch mistakes. For instance, you might have put the word “dot” for “dog.” Since “dot” is a word, spell check won’t catch the mistake. Read it aloud because when you do, you focus more on the individual words, and will catch more mistakes.

Editing Marks and Symbols:

Click here to see proofreading symbols and abbreviations

Publish with Pride!

Remember that you write because you have something to say. You don’t want to write and then just let it sit on your desk, collecting dust.

Publishing Includes:

• Oral presentation: where you tell your story, read your poem or argue the points in your article.
• Clean, hard copies
• Book binding
• Poetry readings
• Blogging or web publishing
• Podiobooks
• Any sharing of your finished project!

Wrapping Up

• Involve other people!

• Read your work aloud!

• Challenge yourself to raise the bar, no matter how good you think it is!

• Get the feedback of those with strong skills!

• This is not a linear process! You can loop! It’s recursive! You might be editing, then realize you left something out totally and need to revise. Or you might think of another aspect, and decide you might have to research more, or prewrite.

Take Practice Test Here

On this lesson we’re going to be focusing on some very small words and their role in making the subject and verb agree.

Making Subjects Agree with Our Verbs

Two or more singular subjects joined with or or nor must have a singular verb.

Examples:

1. Either the balloon or the propeller is going to break. (balloon/propeller are both singular verbs so you need to use a singular verb form, which is “is.” One of these things is going to break.)
2. Neither the balloon or the propeller is very sturdy.(again, balloon/propeller are singular so you need to use “is” instead of “are.”)
3. Neither the potatoes or the peas are done. (Here is where you use “are” for the verb because potatoes and peas are both plural.)

When a singular subject is joined with a plural subject by or or nor, the verb must agree with the last subject listed.

Examples:

1. Neither the lights nor the wreath is in the box.
   • Since wreath is the last subject listed, and it is singular, the verb must be singular—is.
   • Try reading just the last part of the sentence with the second verb and listen to how it sounds. “The wreath is in the box.” You can hear that “is” should be used in the sentence.
2. Neither the wreath nor the lights are in the box.
   • We just switched the order of the listed subjects. Now the last subject is plural, so the verb must be plural.
   • Remember, it’s the subject that is closest to the verb that dictates what the verb must agree with.
   • Again, just say the last part of the sentence. “The lights are in the box.” That sounds right; If you said The lights is in the box, you could hear the mistake.

A Compound Subject Joined By AND Must Have a Plural Verb.

Examples:

1. The boy and girl are waiting for the train.
   • You can substitute the pronoun “they” for boy and girl.
   • “They” is plural, so the verb must be plural. Boy and girl imply more than one.
2. The boys and girls are waiting for the train.

• Boys is plural and girls is plural—so there are lots of boys and girls. This needs a plural verb.

Two Exceptions to the Above Rule:

• If  the parts of the compound subject taken together are thought of as a single unit, then the compound subject must have a singular verb.

ü      Examples:

1. Bacon and eggs is what I like to eat to start out the day. Bacon and eggs is one breakfast. You usually hear bacon and eggs together and think of the two together as ONE breakfast. So this is why you use the singular verb “is.”
2. Rice with beans is very popular throughout the world. Again, you think of these two foods together as ONE meal. Rice with beans is so common together, this is why you think of the two together as ONE meal.

• Second exception: if either word—every or each—comes before a compound subject, then it needs a singular verb.

ü      Example: Every town and village celebrates. The word “every” means ONE, and so you must use a singular verb.

Making Subjects Agree With And/Or/Nor: Exercises

1. Memorial Day and Veterans Day (is/are) national holidays. (The “and” makes the subjects plural.)
2. Either historical occasions or distinguished persons (is/are) commemorated on secular holidays. (because “or” is used, you must look at the subject that is closest to the verb. Since distinguished persons is plural, you must use “are”.)
3. Concert tickets or a fancy dinner (is/are) a great gift. (One of the subjects is plural; the other is singular. Since the subject closest to the verb is singular, you must make the verb singular).

Pronouns are words that stand for nouns or for words that take place of nouns. They are generally used when it doesn’t make sense to repeat the noun over and over again. Read these two sentences:

1. Aunt Marcie was late because Aunt Marcie had waited for the delivery of Aunt Marcie’s watch. (All nouns)
2. Aunt Marcie was late because she had to wait for the delivery of her watch. (With pronouns)

Antecedents of Pronouns Pronouns get the meaning of the words they stand for. These words are called antecedents. The first one doesn’t sound natural–it doesn’t flow. The only time you would hear someone talk like the first example would probably be during an argument. So we use pronouns to make it flow, and so it doesn’t sound clunky. Pronouns can take the place of a noun in the same sentence, or take the place of a noun in a previous sentence. Look at this clause: My father opened his email first. (“…his” refers to the subject, or noun–”My father.” So “he” is a pronoun.) My father opened his email first. He couldn’t wait any longer.  (Look at the second sentence. “He” still refers to “My father” since my father is the subject of the previous sentence.) Pronouns can also take the place of an entire group of words. Trying to make the team is hard work. It takes hours of practice every day. (The “It” refers to “trying to make the team”–that whole idea.) Antecedents of Pronouns Pronouns get their meaning from the words they stand for. These words are called antecedents.  In the example “My father opened his email first.”

• The pronoun is his
• The antecedent is father.

Here are more examples:

• Trying to make the team is hard work. It takes hours of practice every day.
• The pronoun is it.
• The antecedent is Trying to make the team.

Everything was lost in the flood.

• The pronoun is Everything.
• There is no clear antecedent.

Locate the antecedents to the pronouns below: Although he was known as an expert software developer, Darryl enjoyed selling computers. (Answer: International Business Machines Company). Who will take the class? (Answer: There is no clear antecedent.) International Business Machines Company (IBM) was a new company in the 1930s. The electromechanical calculator was its invention. (Answer: International Business Machines Company is the antecedent; its is the pronoun.) Different Types of Pronouns:

• Personal
• Demonstrative
• Interrogative
• Reflexive and Intensive
• Relative
• Indefinite

Personal pronouns refer to the person speaking (first person), the person spoken to (second person), or the place or thing spoken about (third person). Examples:

• I left my Spanish book at home. (first person–I, me, my).
• Can I borrow yours? (second person) (You, Yours).
• She said she needed hers during fifth period. (third person)

Here’s a breakdown of words for points of view, singular and plural.

• First person, singular–I, me, my, mine.
• First person, plural–we, us, our, ours
• Second person, singular–you, your, yours
• Second person, plural–you, your, yours
• Third person, singular–he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its
• Third person, plural–they, them, their, theirs

Find the personal pronouns in the sentences below:

1. I waited for my computer to boot up. (I and my are first person singular pronouns).
2. Sheila, you left your computer on. (you and your are a second person singular pronouns, referring to Sheila, which is the antecedent).
3. I haven’t seen my grandfather in a year. He will arrive from Louisiana tomorrow. (I and my are first person singular pronouns. He is a third person singular pronoun).

A Demonstrative Pronoun directs attention to a specific person, place or thing. They may come before or after their antecedents. Demonstrative pronouns are this, that, these or those.

• This is the watch I chose. (Where “this” is the demonstrative pronoun and “watch” is the antecedent or the noun the demonstrative pronoun represents)
• Of all the books I’ve written, this has the most action.

Relative Pronouns

• A relative pronoun begins a subordinate clause and connects another idea in the sentence.
• Relative pronouns include that, which, who, whom and whose.
• Examples:

1. Here is the compass that Jedidiah lost (“Here is the compass.” this is a complete sentence with a subject and a verb; it makes sense and can stand on its own.  “That Jedidiah lost,” is not a sentence. Jedidiah is the subject, and lost is the verb but that makes it a clause instead of a full sentence because you can tell something is missing–that Jedidiah lost makes you ask what did Jedidiah lose? That is a relative pronoun, connecting the subordinate clause to compass. )
2. Teddy bought my airship, which needs lots of repairs. (same thing here–which connects the subordinate clause “…which needs lost of repairs” to airship, the antecedent. The relative pronoun is which.)

Interrogative Pronoun

• An interrogative pronoun is used to begin a question.
• It may or may not have a specific antecedent.
• Interrogative pronouns include what, which, who, whom and whose.
• Examples:

1. What did I do wrong? (No antecedent.)
2. Of these keys, which one will turn Steam Man off? (which is the interrogative pronoun referring to keys)

Demonstrative, Relative and Interrogative Pronouns: Exercises

(Remember demonstrative is demonstrating which ones, relative shows relationship and interrogative asks questions, or interrogates.)

• Those paintings in France are more than 30,000 years old. (Demonstrative)
• These are the symbols representing stars. (Demonstrative)
• There are two people. To whom were you speaking? (Interrogative)

Indefinite Pronouns

• Indefinite pronouns refers to people, places or things without referring to which ones.
• They often lack specific antecedents.
• Examples:

1. Anyone can learn to operate a boilerplate. (no specific antecedent)
2. All of the students learned to operate a boilerplate.

List of indefinite pronouns:

Anyone, another, anybody, anything, each, everything, everyone, little, much, neither, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, both, many, few, others, several, all, many, more, most, none.

Indefinite Pronoun Exercises

1. Many do their banking, shopping and research at home on their computers. (Many implies many people, so this is an indefinite pronoun).
2. Others go to a grocery store where technology–a scanner–tallies their totals.
3. Before 1861, nobody expected to send signals across the country.

Practice here