Faculty of Letters & Humanities

English Department
Writing Paragraph
Prof. Rachid Acim

Chapter 3: Fixing Sentence Problems

S.1

Academic Year: 2024-2025

The structure of English sentences can be a problem for
university students. They need to be able to detect and fix
sentence problems so that their writing is technically
correct. When they are communicating in standard English
(as required for academic writing), sentences should be
used to convey a complete thought. As such, all sentences
must have the correct grammatical elements and
punctuation expected of English sentences.
Proofreading
Common sentence problems
- Sentence fragment
- Run-On Sentences
- Comma Splices
- Stringy Sentences
- Choppy Sentences
SENTENCE PROBLEMS

1. Sentence Fragments: incomplete or parts of sentences

2. Choppy: too short sentences
3. Run-on: no punctuation is used
4. Comma splice: misuse of the comma
5. Stringy Sentence: too many clauses, usually connected with
and, but, so, and sometimes because (because of the influence
of speech)
Identifying and revising sentence fragments
1) Sentence fragments

Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences, so they make

writing grammatically incorrect. Most often, punctuation
revisions can be used to correct the problem; however,
sometimes one needs to rearrange the sentence order and
structure to fix the problem.
Rule 1: A sentence is a fragment if it DOES NOT have a
subject.

- By researching in the library or online is part of the

assignment writing process. [NO SUBJECT]
- Researching in the library or online is part of the
assignment writing process.
- Part of the assignment writing process is to research
in the library or online.
Rule 2: A sentence is a fragment if it DOES NOT have a
main verb.

- Undergraduates working through their course and then on

to postgraduate studies. [NO MAIN VERBS]
- Undergraduates worked through their course and then went
on to postgraduate studies.
Rule 3: A sentence is a fragment if it DOES NOT have a
subject and a main verb.

- Students can a range of marks. From a fail to a high

distinction [NO SUBJECT, NO MAIN VERB]
- Students can achieve a range of marks from a fail to a
high distinction.
Rule 4: A sentence is a fragment if it DOES NOT make
complete sense on its own, EVEN IF there is a subject and a
main verb. A sentence must express at least one complete
thought.

- Although the new units doubled student numbers. [HAS A

SUBJECT AND A MAIN VERB, BUT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE
BY ITSELF AS A UNIT OF MEANING]
- Although the new units doubled student numbers, the
college did not gain the enrolments it was seeking.
Consider the following examples:

1. When we arrived at the restaurant.

2. Worked hard on the project they deserved a high score.
3. Enjoyable movie, it was very entertaining.
4. If I had a huge fortune.
5. When the weather it extremely hot.
6. Because we did not have enough time.
1. When we arrived at the restaurant, We found our neighbours
having lunch.
2. Worked hard on the project they deserved a high score.
The students worked hard on the project, so they deserved a high
score.
3. Enjoyable movie, it was very entertaining.
The movie was enjoyable, and it was entertaining.
4. If I had a huge fortune.
If I had a huge fortune, I would help the impoverished.
5. When the weather extremely hot.
When the weather is extremely hot, we go swimming.
6. Because we did not have enough time.
Because we did not have enough time, we could not go to the
theater.
2) Ron-On Sentences

A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more

independent clauses are written one after another with no
punctuation. Consider these examples:

a. My family went to Australia then they emigrated to Canada.

b. Two letters arrived on Monday a third one came on

Wednesday.
How to correct these errors?

a. Add a period
My family went to Australia. Then they emigrated to Canada.
b. Add a semicolon
My family went to Australia; then they emigrated to Canada.
c. Add a coordinator
My family went to Australia, and then they emigrated to
Canada.
d. Add a subordinator
My family went to Australia before they emigrated to Canada.
3) Comma Splices

When two independent clauses are incorrectly joined by a comma

without a coordinating conjunction. Consider this example:

a. My family went to Australia, then they emigrated to Canada.

b. Two letters arrived on Monday, a third one came on

Wednesday.
a. Add a period
My family went to Australia. Then they emigrated to Canada.
b. Add a semicolon
My family went to Australia; then they emigrated to Canada.
c. Add a coordinator
My family went to Australia, and then they emigrated to Canada.
d. Add a subordinator
My family went to Australia before they emigrated to Canada.
4) Stringy Sentences

A stringy sentence is a sentence with too many clauses,

usually connected with ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, and sometimes
‘because’. It often results from writing the way you speak,
going on and on like a string without an end.

To correct a stringy sentence, divide it and/or

recombine the clauses, remembering to subordinate
when appropriate.
 a. Many students attend classes all morning, and then they work all
afternoon, and they also have to study at night, so they are usually
exhausted by the weekend. [STRINGY SENT.]

b. Many students attend classes all morning and work all afternoon.
Since they also have to study at night, they are usually exhausted by
the weekend. [CORRECTED]

OR

Because many students attend classes all morning, work all afternoon,
and study at night, they are usually exhausted by the weekend.
[CORRECTED]
5) Choppy Sentences

Choppy sentences are sentences that are too short.

a. My family left our homeland. Then we lived in a refugee camp. We lived

there for several months. Then we got documents. We traveled to Canada.
We live there now. [CHOPPY]

b. After my family left our homeland, we lived in a refugee camp for

several months. As soon as we got our documents, we traveled to Canada,
where we live now. [CORRECTED]
Practice

Correct the following run-on/comma splice sentences:

1. A new arrived international student faces several challenges, for example,

he or she has to cope with a new culture. [add a period or a semicolon]
2. New York City is very cosmopolitan, people from many cultures and ethnic
groups live there. [add a period/a semicolon/a subordinator]
3. Learning a new language is like learning to swim it takes a lot of practice.
[add a coordinator]
4. Ask for assistance at the reference desk in the library, a librarian is always
on duty. [add a semicolon]
5. Skiing is a dangerous sport you can easily break your leg or your neck.
[add a subordinator]
Practice 2

Detect the problem and fix it. If the sentence is

correct, say so.

1. An encyclopedia is a valuable source of information it contains

summaries of every area of knowledge.
2. Because of the rapid expansion of human knowledge, it is difficult to
keep encyclopedias current.
3. A printed encyclopedia becomes out of date almost as soon as it is
published also it is quite expensive to purchase.
4. Online encyclopedias are available to everyone with access to the
Internet.
5. If you cannot find any information on a subject, you can always ask a
librarian to help you, they are paid to assist students.
Practice 3

Improve these stringy sentences.

1. He enrolled in an intermediate calculus class, but he found it too easy,

so he dropped it, and he signed up for the advanced class.
2. First-born children in a family often have more responsibility than their
younger siblings, and they feel pressure to set a good example, so they
often become superachievers.
3. The students in my engineering class could not do the homework, so
we got together and worked for several hours, and we finally solved all
the problems.
4. The lack of rainfall has caused a severe water shortage, so people have
to conserve water every day, and they also have to think of new ways
to reuse water, but the situation is improving.
Thank you for your attention