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by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

Using Sentence Fragments and Run-On Sentences.

These two errors are the evil twins of weak writing. Sentences need to have a subject and a verb. If a sentence does not have both, it's a fragment, which you can often successfully attach to another sentence. The key is to make sure all your sentences have both a subject and a verb, and when appropriate, perform reattachment surgery on those that don't.

While a sentence fragment lacks a subject or verb, the run-on sentence has too many of both. There's nothing wrong with joining two sentences into one compound sentence as long as you use an appropriate connector between the two sentences. An appropriate connector is either a conjunction, such as and, but, yet, so, however, or punctuation -- such as a semicolon or colon. (Not a comma -- because joining two complete sentence with a comma results in the most common type of run-on sentence.

Again, a good solution to these problems is to read your paper aloud. If you are stopping and stopping too often, and some sentences do not seem to make sense, you may have a fragment issue. On the other hand, as you are reading your paper, take note of each time you naturally feel a need to pause -- and ensure you have appropriate punctuation marks in your paper to mark those pauses.

Go to the next common college student writing flaw: Incorrect Word Usage.

Back to the main page of The Top 15 Writing Flaws That Can Lead to Lower Grades

Looking for more writing assistance? Go to our sister site, EnhanceMyWriting.com: Indispensable Writing Resources.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key academic terms by going to our College Success Glossary.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen, CEO of EmpoweringSites.com, has been empowering people his entire adult life -- to help them better their lives. In fact, empowerment is part of his professional philosophy statement. He is also founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well as founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press as well as a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years.

Dr. Katharine Hansen, Creative Director of EmpoweringSites.com, is a former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for several of our sites, including Quintessential Careers, MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. She also edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for job-seekers, career counselors, and students. She is author of Dynamic Cover Letter for New Graduates; A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way into the Hidden Job Market; and, with Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters and Write Your Way to a Higher GPA, all published by Ten Speed Press. She can be reached by e-mail at kathy@quintcareers.com.

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