I had a grammar professor in college who gave you an F on a paper if you had three or more misspelled words or if you had three or more of any combination of the following:
- Fragment
- Run-on sentence
- Comma splice
When the 50ish lady sitting next to me got an F on her first paper—and she already had her master’s in English and taught introductory composition at the local community college—I knew I was facing a monumental challenge.
Granted, this was an advanced grammar and composition class that was required for secondary teaching certification, but I never anticipated that a little gray-haired tenured professor could make life so difficult for serious English students. By the end of the semester, our once-40-member class had dwindled to seven students. The rest had the good sense to transfer or drop after the first few days.
So, how would you fare in Dr. Grammar’s class? Can you spot a run-on, fragment, or a comma splice? Do you pick up on misspelled words? Do you even pay attention to spellcheck? Here are a few tips to help you out:
Fragments
A fragment is a phrase that cannot stand alone. It’s missing the subject or the verb—it’s a dependent phrase. You can fix a fragment by connecting it to the previous sentence with a comma.
Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence is what happens when you try to jam two or more sentences together with no comma and coordinating conjunction. You can fix a run-on by breaking it up into two or more sentences, or you can connect them with a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction. (Remember coordinating conjunctions—FANBOYS? If not, see previous post.)
Comma Splice
A comma splice occurs when you connect two or more sentences with just a comma. Because sentences are independent clauses, containing both a subject and a verb, you cannot join them with only a comma. You fix a comma splice by making two sentences or forming a compound sentence. A compound sentence contains two independent clauses with a comma, followed by a coordinating conjunction (think: FANBOYS). Or, you can use a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses. Be warned, though: semicolons have fallen out of favor in today’s publishing world.
Learn the Rules Like a Pro
Well, I survived Professor Grammar’s quirks, and those most egregious mistakes still haunt me at times. But as a writer today, while I still keep an eye on grammar, I prefer to adapt my style to Picasso’s teaching: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
