Revising and Editing
Reconsidering your ideas, examining your paragraphs, checking your style and grammar.
Sentence Boundaries
Sentence boundary errors happen at the point where one sentence should end and another should begin. Fragments, run-ons, and comma splices are the three kinds of sentence boundary errors.
Fragments
Sentences are made up of subjects and verbs, and fragments are missing one or the other; the result is an incomplete thought.
Example:
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I like to read history books. Russian and English history. |
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I like to read history books, especially about Russian and English history. |
The first example is incorrect because one of the “sentences” is a fragment: Russian and English history. Without the connection in the second sentence, all you know is that the person likes to read history books, but you can’t be sure whether Russian and English history is what they enjoy most or is part of a different idea altogether.
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Run-on Sentences
Run-on sentences, also called “fused sentences,” happen when two independent clauses (clauses that can stand alone as sentences) are laid one after the other without any separation. To fix this, you can either separate the two clauses with a period or join them by adding a semicolon or a comma and a conjunction.
Example:
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My dog is a miniature Schnauzer he’s a great watchdog. |
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My dog is a miniature Schnauzer. He’s a great watchdog. |
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My dog is a miniature Schnauzer; he’s a great watchdog. |
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My dog is a miniature Schnauzer, so he’s a great watchdog. |
The first sentence here is incorrect because there are two independent clauses (My dog is a miniature Schnauzer and he’s a great watchdog) without any separation between them. Any of the three others are appropriate ways to separate those two clauses.
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Comma Splices
Comma splices happen when two independent clauses (clauses that can stand alone as sentences) are joined with only a comma. To fix this, you can either separate the two clauses with a period or join them by adding a semicolon or a comma and a conjunction—just like you fix run-on sentences.
Example:
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Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful monarch, she was the sole ruler of England for 70 years. |
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Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful monarch. She was the sole ruler of England for 70 years. |
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Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful monarch; she was the sole ruler of England for 70 years. |
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Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful monarch, and she was the sole ruler of England for 70 years. |
The first sentence here is incorrect because there are two independent clauses (Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful monarch and she was the sole ruler of England for 70 years) with only a comma between them. Any of the three others are appropriate ways to separate those two clauses.
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Source
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
