In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Sentence, Clause, Phrase

Fragment, Comma Splice
Run on Sentence

Composed by:
Zubair Aftab Khan
Coordinator STEP
Head of English Deptt.
PGC-City Campus
Lahore.

&

Ubaid ur Rahman Farooqi

Lecturer in English
PGC-City Campus
Lahore.
 Sentence

Clause Phrase
Fragment Comma Splice

Run on
Sentence
A sentence is a group of words in a certain order conveying complete sense.
OR
A sentence is a set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject
and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of a main clause and
sometimes one or more subordinate clauses.
Types (According to meaning)
According to meaning, the sentence is divided into the following Five categories.
Declarative Sentence:
A declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement, provides a fact, offers an explanation,
or conveys information. A declarative sentence is the most common type of sentence in English. It is also
called an affirmative sentence or a statement. It usually has two types; positive and negative.
My dog is sick.
It is a nice day.
He eats an apple daily.
He does not eat an apple daily.
Interrogative Sentence:
An interrogative sentence asks a question or demands an information.
Is my dog sick?
Does he eat an apple daily?
Aren’t you afraid of storms?
Has somebody been bothering you?
Exclamatory Sentence:
An exclamatory sentence is one that expresses sudden or strong emotions and feelings. It begins with
a capital letter and ends with an exclamation mark.
Wow! I really cannot believe we did that!
That is great!
Hurrah! We have won the match.
Alas! His father has died.
Imperative Sentence:
An imperative sentence issues a command, makes a request, offers advice, or gives an instruction.
All these moods combine under one term of Imperative Sentences.
To put it bluntly, an imperative sentence is a sentence that tells somebody to do something. That
“somebody” doesn’t necessarily have to be another person—when you use voice commands with virtual
assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant, you’re using imperative sentences.
Similarly, when you tell your dog to sit, stay, leave it, or come, you’re speaking in imperative
sentences.
Polish my shoes.
Remember to pick up the dry cleaning today.
Tell me if I should go to Hawaii or Alaska for my summer vacation.
Leave the book under my doormat.

Optative Sentence:
Optative sentences express a wish, hope, or desire. They often begin with “may” or “wish” and can end with
an exclamation mark to convey the intensity of the wish. They may not have exclamation mark.
Examples:
May you be blessed with a good job.
May you have a happy birthday!
Oh, that I could fly!
Wish you a wonderful day.
Overlap:
While exclamatory sentences always express strong emotions, optative sentences express wishes and can
also convey strong emotions, especially when an exclamation mark is used.
Example of Overlap:
“May you live long and prosper!”
Types (According to Structure)
According to structure, the sentence is divided into the following Four categories.
Simple/Single Sentence:
A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a
completed thought.
He waited for the train.
I watch TV.
Compound Sentence:
A compound sentence refers to a sentence made up of two independent clauses (or complete
sentences) connected to each other with a coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are easy
to remember if you think of the words:
“FAN BOYS” (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
He reached the exam hall for attempting the paper, but he was late.
I called them in the evening, but they did not respond it on time.
Ali and Imran arrived at the bus station before noon, and they waited for me there till evening.
Hammad and Saad left on the bus, so I did not see them at the bus station.
Complex Sentence:
A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and one or more dependent
clauses connected to it.
I did not see them at the station because Sara and Sana arrived at the bus station before noon.
Because Sara and Sana arrived at the bus station before noon, I did not see them at the station.
Compound Complex Sentence:
A compound-complex sentence is comprised of at least two independent clauses and one or more
dependent clauses.

I called them in the evening, but they did not respond it on time because their phone was on silent mode.
Though Ali prefers watching romantic films, he rented the latest spy thriller, and he enjoyed it very much.
Laiba forgot her friend’s birthday, so she sent her a card when she finally remembered.

Clause
A group of words containing a subject and predicate and functioning as a member of a complex or
compound sentence.
The sentence “I love poetry, but they love novels” consists of two clauses: “I love poetry” and “they love
novels.”

Types of Clauses
A clause is divided into the following Four categories.

Independent / Main / Principal Clause:

An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own as a distinct sentence. These have a subject
(noun/pronoun), finite verb and an object and make full sentences that can stand alone or act as the main
part of any complex or compound sentence. Independent and Principal clauses are functionally the same
but named from different perspectives.
I love poetry.
He writes essays.
They loved novels.
Dependent / Subordinating Clause:
(Noun, Adjective, Adverb clauses & non-finite clauses)
In contrast, a dependent clause is not a complete sentence. Dependent clauses are sometimes known
as subordinate clauses. As their name implies, these clauses depend on independent clauses to clearly express
ideas.
When I grow up…
Although he sings well…
To turn these dependent clauses into full sentences, we need to combine them with independent clauses:
When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
Although he sings well, he hates karaoke.
Noun Clauses:
Dependent clauses acting as nouns in sentences are called noun clauses or nominal clauses. These often
start with “how,” “that,” other wh-words (what, who, where, when, why, which, whose and whom), if,
whether etc.
He believed that the peon was guilty.
I like what I hear.
You need to express that it’s crossing a line for you.
He knows how things work around here.

Adjective (Relative) Clause:

It is a dependent clause that modifies a Noun. Basically, adjective clauses have similar qualities
as adjectives and hence are called adjective clauses. These are also called relative clauses and they usually sit
right after the Nouns they modify.
I’m looking for the red book that went missing last week.
Saad is asking for the shoes which used to belong to his dad.
You there, who is sitting quietly at the corner, come here and lead the class out.
Adverb Clauses:
By definition, these are dependent clauses acting as adverbs. It means that these clauses have the power
to modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.
Alia did the dishes till her legs gave up.
Hina ran to the point of panting passionately.
I went through the book at a lightning speed.
Non-finite Clauses:
A non-finite clause is a type of subordinate clause that is based around a to-infinitive or a participle. While this
may sound complicated, it simply means that the clause contains a verb that doesn't show tense or time. This
means that the clause doesn't state at what time something happened, making it non-finite.
She left the building to find her friends.
He wanted to make sure it was the correct answer.
He was proud of himself solving the problem they were set.
Finding nothing in the box, he went back to the shop to complain.

Phrase
A single word or a group of words containing some meaning that is incomplete. A phrase does not
have a subject and predicate. It functions as a subject or object in a sentence.
The sentence “I am happy on her arrival” consists of one noun phrase “on her arrival” functioning as an
object.
Noun Phrase:
It is usually assembled centering a single noun and works as a subject, an object or a complement in the
sentence.
Reading novels is a good habit. (A subject)
The probability of happening that match is not much. (A subject)
She bought a new laptop. (An object)
I like to swing the bat hard when I am at the crease. (An object)
Adjective Phrase:
It is comprised of an adjective and works as a single adjective in the sentence.
Arman is a well-behaved man.
He is a man of friendly nature.
Jasmine is a woman of gorgeous style.
She leads a very interesting life.
Adverb Phrase:
It modifies the verb or the adjective and works as an adverb in the sentence.
The horse runs at a good speed.
I ran as fast as possible.
He works very slowly.
Prepositional Phrase:
It always begins with a preposition and connects nouns.
He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country.
In the end, we all have to die.
He is on the way.
By working aimlessly, you will not get success.
In spite of working hard, he was insulted by his boss.
Absolute Phrase:
The phrase containing Noun or Pronoun accompanied by a participle and necessary modifiers is called
absolute phrase.
Weather permitting, I will join the party.
God willing, he’ll pass the test this time.
The hot Summer sun having set, we left for the movie
Gerund Phrase:
These contain a gerund, its modifier(s) and the other necessary elements. They function as nouns just like
gerunds themselves and that means they can be subjects and objects of the sentences.
Eating plenty of grapes in one sitting is a bad idea.
Doing the dishes gives me cold allergies.
I hate hurrying right before the deadline.

Appositive Phrase:
An appositive noun or noun phrase follows another noun or noun phrase in apposition to it; that is, it
provides information that further identifies or defines it. Such “bonus facts” are framed
by commas unless the appositive is essential.

My childhood friend, Anne-Marie, loved horses.

Anne-Marie, my childhood friend, loved horses.
Jeremy, the police officer on duty, wrote the speeding ticket.
The popular search engine Google receives more than 8.5 billion searches a day. (Correct)
The popular search engine, Google, receives more than 8.5 billion searches a day. (Incorrect)
Infinitive Phrase:
These are comprised of infinitive verbs (To + base verb) along with their modifiers and/or complements.
We love to cook together.
He likes to solve math problems too much.
Rina walks fast to be there on time.
Fragment
A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence, but actually isn’t a complete sentence.
Sentence fragments are usually missing a subject or verb, or they do not express a complete thought. While it
may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, a fragment cannot stand on its own.

Distinguishing Features
Here are the distinguishing features of a sentence fragment:
It is missing a subject
Example: Ran to the store faster than a rabbit. (Who ran?)
It is missing a verb or has the wrong verb form
Example: My favorite history teacher. (What did the teacher do or say?)
It is a leftover phrase
Example: For better or worse. (What is better or worse? What is it modifying?)
It is an abandoned clause
Example: When my mother married my father. (What happened when “my mother married my father?”)
It is a misuse of “such as, for example, especially,” etc.
Example: Such as, my brother was practicing martial arts. (It is unclear; did something happen when my
brother was practicing martial arts?)

Notes:
All types of phrases are fragments that do not have complete meanings of their own, unless they become a
part of a larger unit.
By attaching, revising and rewriting, fragments can be removed and converted into proper meaning.

Run on Sentence / Comma Splice

Comma splices and Run-on Sentences are major sentence errors that interfere with efficient transmission
of thought from writer to reader.
A comma splice occurs when only a comma separates two independent sentences.
A run-on (or fused sentence) occurs when no punctuation at all separates independent sentences.

Tony is dishonest, he steals data for a living. (Comma Splice)

Tony is dishonest he steals data for a living. (Corrected)
Correction Methods (Full Stop/Period or comma with FANBOYS or Semicolon)
Tony is dishonest. He steals data for a living. (Corrected)
She loves poetry, but I love novels.
Suddenly, complete silence descended on the boys’ room; the mother knew she’d better check on them.

In these two sentences, comma splices and run-on sentences are similar mistakes. In both cases, the
punctuation (or lack of it) does not indicate complete, independent sentences. A comma splice or run-on
sentence can also occur when we use Conjunctive Adverbs with incorrect punctuation:
The U.S. Postal Service is usually very reliable, however, sometimes a letter is not delivered for weeks,
months, or even years. (Incorrect)
The U.S. Postal Service is usually very reliable; however, sometimes a letter is not delivered for weeks,
months, or even years. (Correct)

Commas with that, who, which & where

That
That is never preceded by comma when it is a complementizer and joins a new sentence. In fact, it is the
replacement of comma.

He said, “I am unwell.”
He said that he was unwell.
This is the same pen that I gave you.

Note:
Comma is placed before that in a when is giving additional pieces of information in a sentence.

She promised that she would be a good girl, that would never bite her brother, and that she would not climb
onto the television.

Who, which & where follow same rules for having and not having commas. In case of extra information
commas are placed before them. But if the information is essential then there will be no commas at all.
Who
My colleague Imran, who you met at the welcome party last year, just signed up for a membership at your
gym. (The information about Imran is additional)
I hate having to work with people who don’t pull their own weight on the team. (essential info)
I asked my mom who I should invite to my birthday party. (essential info)
Which
The peregrine falcon, which can dive at speeds of almost 200 miles an hour, is the fastest bird in the
world. (additional information)
This is the prison cell in which a famous monarch spent the last days before her execution. (Essential)
Where
The city of Yakutsk, where temperatures average minus 50 °C, is considered the coldest city on Earth.
I am headed to Boston, where my brother is waiting for me. (additional information in both sentences)

Seattle was the first city where I lived on my own after I graduated college.
Do you know where I left my keys? (essential information in both sentences)