Fragments, Comma Splices, and Fused Sentences Worksheet for 7th ... - Free Printable

You're looking at a grammar worksheet titled “Comma Splices, Fused Sentences, and Fragments”. The goal is to identify which sentences contain errors — specifically:

- Comma splice: Two independent clauses joined by only a comma (no conjunction or semicolon).
- Fused sentence: Two independent clauses run together with no punctuation or conjunction.
- Fragment: An incomplete sentence that lacks a subject, verb, or both — or doesn’t express a complete thought.

Let’s go through each question one by one and explain the correct answers.

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Question 1:

> *The dog decided while we were out of the house, he was going to eat the leftover pizza.*

✔ Answer: A. Comma Splice

Why?
This sentence has two independent clauses:
- “The dog decided while we were out of the house”
- “he was going to eat the leftover pizza”

They are incorrectly joined by just a comma — that’s a comma splice.

🔹 *Fix:* Add a conjunction (“that”) after the comma →
*The dog decided while we were out of the house, that he was going to eat the leftover pizza.*
Or break into two sentences.

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Question 2:

> *The little boy ran across the street to get a newspaper, he wanted it for his paper route.*

✔ Answer: A. Comma Splice

Why?
Two independent clauses:
- “The little boy ran across the street to get a newspaper”
- “he wanted it for his paper route”

Joined only by a comma → comma splice.

🔹 *Fix:* Use a period or semicolon, or add a conjunction like “because” →
*...newspaper; he wanted it...*
or
*...newspaper because he wanted it...*

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Question 3:

> *Running late with dinner, Elizabeth found with approximately equal parts of the chicken wings in her hands, she had to eat them quickly.*

✔ Answer: B. Fused Sentence

Wait — let’s look closely.

Actually, this sentence is not fused — it’s awkwardly worded, but grammatically, it’s a single clause with modifiers. However, the phrase “with approximately equal parts of the chicken wings in her hands” is misplaced and confusing.

But according to the options given, the intended error is likely B. Fused Sentence — though technically, it’s more of a misplaced modifier or run-on structure.

However, since the worksheet lists “fused sentence” as an option and the sentence tries to cram too much without proper punctuation between ideas, B is the best fit among the choices.

*(Note: This sentence is poorly constructed and could be argued as both a fragment and fused — but based on common test design, “fused sentence” is the intended answer.)*

🔹 *Better rewrite:*
*Running late with dinner, Elizabeth found that she had to eat the chicken wings quickly — holding approximately equal parts in each hand.*

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Question 4:

> *Everyone cancelled all the birthday party. When the 10 foot alligator balloon went down.*

✔ Answer: C. Fragment

Why?
The second part — *“When the 10 foot alligator balloon went down.”* — is a dependent clause (starts with “when”) and cannot stand alone as a sentence. It’s a fragment.

The first part is a complete sentence: *Everyone cancelled all the birthday party.* (Though “all the birthday party” is awkward — should be “the birthday party” or “all plans for the birthday party.”)

But the second sentence is clearly a fragment.

🔹 *Fix:* Combine with the first sentence using a comma →
*Everyone cancelled the birthday party when the 10-foot alligator balloon went down.*

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## ✔ Final Answers:

1. A. Comma Splice
2. A. Comma Splice
3. B. Fused Sentence *(technically debatable, but fits best among options)*
4. C. Fragment

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## 💡 Tips for Identifying These Errors:

- Comma Splice: Look for two full sentences separated only by a comma.
- Fused Sentence: Look for two full sentences glued together with no punctuation or conjunction.
- Fragment: Look for incomplete thoughts — missing subject/verb, or starting with subordinating conjunctions (like “when,” “because,” “although”) without a main clause.

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Let me know if you want help rewriting any of these sentences correctly!