Exercise sheet for identifying and correcting sentence fragments and run-on sentences.

Here’s the corrected version of each sentence, with explanations for why it was a fragment or run-on and how it was fixed.

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1. He went to the store, he bought a candy bar.

✔ Correction:
*He went to the store and bought a candy bar.*
*(or: He went to the store; he bought a candy bar.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a run-on sentence (specifically, a comma splice). Two independent clauses (“He went to the store” and “he bought a candy bar”) are incorrectly joined by only a comma. You can fix this by:
- Using a coordinating conjunction like *and* after the comma.
- Replacing the comma with a semicolon.
- Splitting into two separate sentences.

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2. Having went to the store to buy food for dinner.

✔ Correction:
*I had gone to the store to buy food for dinner.*
*(or: After going to the store to buy food for dinner, I... — depending on context)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a fragment. It begins with a participial phrase (“Having went…”), which cannot stand alone as a sentence. Also, “having went” is grammatically incorrect — it should be “having gone.” To fix it, add a subject and verb to make it a complete thought.

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3. When I went to the park to sit on the swings.

✔ Correction:
*When I went to the park to sit on the swings, I felt relaxed.*
*(or: I went to the park to sit on the swings.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a fragment. “When I went to the park…” is a dependent clause — it cannot stand alone. You must add an independent clause to complete the thought. Alternatively, you can remove “When” to make it an independent clause.

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4. Education is the key to success, you should always try your best.

✔ Correction:
*Education is the key to success, so you should always try your best.*
*(or: Education is the key to success; you should always try your best.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a run-on sentence (comma splice). Two independent clauses are incorrectly joined by a comma. Fix by adding a coordinating conjunction (*so*, *and*, *but*, etc.) or using a semicolon.

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5. Until she went to the library to study.

✔ Correction:
*She didn’t start studying until she went to the library.*
*(or: She waited until she went to the library to study.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a fragment. “Until she went to the library…” is a dependent clause. It needs an independent clause to complete the meaning. The correction adds a subject and verb to form a full sentence.

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6. Studying all night for the big test next week.

✔ Correction:
*I am studying all night for the big test next week.*
*(or: She studied all night for the big test next week.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a fragment. “Studying…” is a present participle phrase with no subject or helping verb. Add a subject and auxiliary verb (e.g., *I am*) to make it a complete sentence.

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7. Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class, he missed all of the other weeks.

✔ Correction:
*Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class because he missed all of the other weeks.*

🔹 Explanation: This is a run-on sentence. It contains three clauses incorrectly joined by commas. The first clause is dependent (“Although Tom…”) and the next two are independent. Use a subordinating conjunction like *because* to connect the last idea logically, or break into two sentences. Here, combining the last two ideas with *because* makes the most sense.

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8. Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything, Janie was a mean person.

✔ Correction:
*Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything, because Janie was a mean person.*
*(or: Janie couldn’t stand Tammy — even though Tammy didn’t do anything — because Janie was a mean person.)*

🔹 Explanation: This is a run-on sentence. Three clauses are incorrectly joined by commas. The final clause (“Janie was a mean person”) explains *why* Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, so adding *because* clarifies the relationship. Alternatively, you could use em dashes or restructure for clarity.

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✔ Final Answer Summary (Corrected Sentences):

1. He went to the store and bought a candy bar.
2. I had gone to the store to buy food for dinner.
3. When I went to the park to sit on the swings, I felt relaxed.
4. Education is the key to success, so you should always try your best.
5. She didn’t start studying until she went to the library.
6. I am studying all night for the big test next week.
7. Although Tom did his homework for a week, he failed reading class because he missed all of the other weeks.
8. Janie couldn’t stand Tammy, even though Tammy didn’t do anything, because Janie was a mean person.

Let me know if you’d like these rewritten in different styles or explained further!