Sentence construction faultsFragmentsA sentence fragment is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because either the subject, the verb, or both are missing. This word group often can be joined to the preceding or to the subsequent sentence to eliminate the fragment.
Editors may use a fragment for stylistic or emphatic effect, but the practice should be kept to a minimum. The technique loses its effectiveness when overused.
The district is considering a rebate on dues because of the recent membership increase. What a deal!
Run-togethersJoining two complete sentences without appropriate punctuation or with no punctuation at all is called a "run together" or "run-on" sentence.
This problem in sentence construction is sometimes called a comma splice if only a comma is used to join the sentence without the appropriate connecting word.
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