E9A: Sentences, Fragments, Run-Ons, & Comma Splices

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunctions.

A sentence fragment is a group of words that does not express a complete thought and is missing a subject or a verb.

A comma splice is the incorrect use of a comma to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Coordinating conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance. They include: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (FANBOYS).

The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is performing the action of the verb.

A subordinating conjunction is a word that introduces a subordinate clause and connects it to an independent clause.

A semicolon is used to connect closely related independent clauses or to separate items in a complex list.

An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought.

A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, while a complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.