Sentences, Fragments, and Run-On Sentences - Free Printable

To solve this worksheet, we need to look at each group of words and decide if it is a complete sentence or just a fragment.

How to tell the difference:
* Complete Sentence (S): It must have a subject (who or what) and a verb (action). Most importantly, it must express a complete thought. It doesn't leave you wondering "what happened next?" or "who did it?"
* Fragment (F): It is missing a subject, a verb, or it doesn't finish the thought. It feels like part of a sentence that got cut off.

Let's go through them one by one:

1. "Yesterday when I got off the school bus."
* This starts with "when," which makes it a dependent clause. It tells us *when* something happened, but it doesn't tell us *what* happened. It’s incomplete.
* Answer: F

2. "My friend Sheila and I saw a brown toad hopping on the sidewalk."
* Subject: My friend Sheila and I. Verb: saw. It tells us exactly what they saw. It is a complete thought.
* Answer: S

3. "Yelled and screamed when she saw it."
* Who yelled and screamed? The subject is missing. We don't know who did the action.
* Answer: F

4. "My friend Sheila, who is scared of all reptiles."
* This describes Sheila, but it doesn't say what she *did*. It’s just a long description without an action for the main subject.
* Answer: F

5. "I picked up the toad and looked closely at it."
* Subject: I. Verbs: picked up, looked. It is a complete thought.
* Answer: S

6. "Had dry, bumpy skin on its body."
* Who or what had the skin? The subject is missing. (It should probably say "The toad had...")
* Answer: F

7. "Sheila said, 'I don't want to see that ugly toad!'"
* Subject: Sheila. Verb: said. It includes a complete quote. It is a complete thought.
* Answer: S

8. "Said, 'Then close your eyes Sheila.'"
* Who said it? The subject is missing.
* Answer: F

9. "Sheila was mad and she ran off."
* Subject: Sheila / she. Verbs: was / ran. It tells us how she felt and what she did. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

10. "I put the toad in my backpack."
* Subject: I. Verb: put. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

11. "Took it home to show my brother."
* Who took it home? The subject "I" is missing.
* Answer: F

12. "My brother wasn't home from school yet."
* Subject: My brother. Verb: wasn't. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

13. "Then I put the backpack on the living room sofa."
* Subject: I. Verb: put. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

14. "The toad was still inside."
* Subject: The toad. Verb: was. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

15. "My mother opened the backpack to see what homework I had."
* Subject: My mother. Verb: opened. Complete thought.
* Answer: S

16. "Hopped out of the backpack and began jumping around the living room floor."
* Who hopped? The subject (the toad) is missing.
* Answer: F

17. "Screamed loudly!"
* Who screamed? The subject is missing.
* Answer: F

18. "Do you think my mother will let me keep the little brown toad?"
* This is a question, but it is still a complete sentence. Subject: you. Verb: think. It expresses a complete thought.
* Answer: S

Final Answer:
1. F
2. S
3. F
4. F
5. S
6. F
7. S
8. F
9. S
10. S
11. F
12. S
13. S
14. S
15. S
16. F
17. F
18. S