Sentence Fragments and Compound Sentences

Introduction

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What's wrong with this?

Problem:   I was on post. And I was guarding the store houses near the train station.

To visit the prior unit, Punctuation and Sentence Fragments: Part 1, click here.

Otherwise please continue below.

Sentence Fragments and Compound Sentences, cont.

 

Below are four sentence fragments.

  • I was on post. And I was guarding the store houses near the train station.

  • I quickly thre my arms around them.   And pulled them off the track.

  • He tried to hug her and kiss her.  But she turned away.

  • He gave her her freedom.  But he wasn't happy.

Each of these sentence fragments begins with a coordinating conjunction but the coordinating conjunction is not attached to the prior sentence.  The solution here is to combine two sentences into one, allowing the coordinating conjunction to do its job and to join the two into one. 

Notice the revised and correctly structured sentences below:

  • I was on post and I was guarding the store houses near the train station.

  • I quickly thre my arms around them and pulled them off the track.

  • He tried to hug her and kiss her but she turned away.
    or
    He tried to hub her and kiss her, but she turned away.

  • He gave her her freedom but he wasn't happy.
    or
    He gave her her freedom, but he wasn't happy.

Fragments and Coordinating Conjunctions

Sentence Fragments and Coordinating Conjunctions

Watch out.  If you are beginning a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, you may have created a sentence fragment. If you are trying to combine two or more simple sentences into one compound sentence, make sure that you are joining them properly, and not leaving a fragment behind.

Next...  Fragments and Complex Sentences

 

In our NEXT LESSON:  Fragments and Complex Sentences

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