Grammar Exercise #3

Recognizing Run-Ons and Fragments (Advanced)

Exercise Links:
Grammar Exercise #1
Grammar Exercise #2
Punctuation Exercises
Usage Exercises
Related Links:
Fragments (Purdue)
Run-Ons (Purdue)
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Writing Guidelines
Writing Exercises

The sentence is the fundamental unit of expression in professional writing. To maintain credibility as a professional, you have to know what constitutes a sentence. In the exercise below, identify whether each of the highlighted word groups is a sentence (S), fragment (F), or run-on (RO). Note that a run-on is a specific grammatical term referring not to a long sentence, but to a group of words containing two or more independent clauses that are incorrectly joined. Once you have clicked on the right answer, you will view a discussion. Corresponding information for this exercise can be found in The Craft of Editing (denoted CE) and The Craft of Scientific Writing (denoted CSW). Note: In the general preferences of your browser, please do not override this document's choice of font colors.

Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation; however, the bombs do not produce the effects in the same proportions.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Congratulations, you have answered #1 correctly.
Original: Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation; however, the bombs do not produce the effects in the same proportions.
Revision: Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation. However, the bombs do not produce the effects in the same proportions.
Discussion: Original was a run-on. After a list following a colon, the sentence must end. More discussion in CE (page 103).

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Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation. The first of which usually causes the most fatalities.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Congratulations, you have answered #2 correctly.
Original: Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation. The first of which usually causes the most fatalities.
Revision: Both bombs produce the same three effects: heat, blast, and radiation. The first of these three usually causes the most fatalities.
Discussion: The original second group of words is a fragment. The word "which" makes that second group of words a dependent clause, which by definition cannot stand alone as a sentence. More discussion in CE (page 111).

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Heat, blast, and radiation are the bomb's three main effects, the first of which usually causes the most fatalities.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Congratulations, you have answered #3 correctly.
Original: Heat, blast, and radiation are the bomb's three main effects, the first of which usually causes the most fatalities.
Discussion: no mistake. The clause following the word "effects" is dependent and therefore can be joined with just a comma to the initial independent clause.

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Both Mars and Earth are rapidly rotating planets, both have seasonal climate changes, and both have heat exchange of solar radiation between the atmosphere and the surface.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Congratulations, you have answered #4 correctly.
Original: Both Mars and Earth are rapidly rotating planets, both have seasonal climate changes, and both have heat exchange of solar radiation between the atmosphere and the surface.
Discussion: This group of words is a periodic sentence with the series of parallel clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction "and."

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The Great Comet of 1811 not only had a large nucleus (between 30 and 40 kilometers), it also had a large coma, extending a length the diameter of the Sun.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Congratulations, you have answered #5 correctly.
Original: The Great Comet of 1811 not only had a large nucleus (between 30 and 40 kilometers), it also had a large coma, extending a length the diameter of the Sun.
Revision: The Great Comet of 1811 not only had a large nucleus (between 30 and 40 kilometers), but it also had a large coma, extending a length the diameter of the Sun.
Discussion: The original group of words is technically a run-on, although it is accepted as a sentence in many informal writing situations. To make it an undisputed sentence, you should add the coordinating conjunction "but."

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The higher the temperature, the lower the pressure.
Sentence
Fragment
Run-On

Trick question.
Original: The higher the temperature, the lower the pressure.
Possible Revision: The higher the temperature is, the lower the pressure is.
Discussion: This group of words is a technically a fragment that almost everyone lets pass as a sentence. Most people would treat this word grouping as having an understood verb in both the dependent clause and the independent clause (much as a command has the understood subject "you"). Should you feel uncomfortable with treating this word grouping as a sentence, simply add the verbs in the dependent and independent clauses. More discussion in CE (page 111).

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Last updated 2/99
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