Avoiding Common Errors
Run-On Sentences
What They Are
Two independent clauses joined without proper punctuation:
❌ I was tired I went to bed. (fused sentence)
How to Fix Them
Option 1: Period
- ✓ I was tired**.** I went to bed.
Option 2: Semicolon
- ✓ I was tired**;** I went to bed.
Option 3: Conjunction
- ✓ I was tired**,** so I went to bed.
Option 4: Dependent clause
- ✓ Because I was tired, I went to bed.
Comma Splices
What They Are
Two independent clauses joined by only a comma:
❌ I was tired, I went to bed.
How to Fix Them
Option 1: Period
- ✓ I was tired**.** I went to bed.
Option 2: Semicolon
- ✓ I was tired**;** I went to bed.
Option 3: Add conjunction
- ✓ I was tired**,** and I went to bed.
Option 4: Add subordinator
- ✓ Because I was tired, I went to bed.
Sentence Fragments
What They Are
Incomplete sentences missing a subject, verb, or complete thought:
❌ Because I was tired. (incomplete thought) ❌ Running through the park. (no subject) ❌ The man in the blue coat. (no verb)
How to Fix Them
Add missing elements:
- ✓ I went to bed because I was tired.
- ✓ She was running through the park.
- ✓ The man in the blue coat waited patiently.
Attach to another sentence:
- ✓ Because I was tired, I went to bed early.
Common Fragment Types
Dependent Clause Fragments
- ❌ Although she tried hard.
- ✓ Although she tried hard, she didn’t succeed.
Participial Phrase Fragments
- ❌ Walking down the street.
- ✓ Walking down the street, I saw an old friend.
List Fragments
- ❌ Such as apples, oranges, and bananas.
- ✓ I love fruit, such as apples, oranges, and bananas.
Quick Reference
| Error | Example | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fused sentence | He ran he fell. | He ran. He fell. |
| Comma splice | He ran, he fell. | He ran, and he fell. |
| Fragment | Because he ran. | Because he ran, he got tired. |
Practice: Identify and Fix
Example 1
❌ The weather was bad we stayed home.
- Error: Run-on (fused sentence)
- ✓ The weather was bad, so we stayed home.
Example 2
❌ She was happy, she got the job.
- Error: Comma splice
- ✓ She was happy because she got the job.
Example 3
❌ After finishing the project.
- Error: Fragment
- ✓ After finishing the project, we celebrated.
The comma splice — joining two independent clauses with only a comma — is one of the most common punctuation errors in English writing. Fix it with a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction, or a period.