Grade 6 · Sentences, Words and Talk · Sentence Control
Sentences, Fragments and Run-ons
Test a group of words for a complete sentence.
Learning objectives
- Test a group of words for a complete sentence
- Fix a fragment three ways
- Repair a run-on with correct punctuation
AERO English Language Arts alignment
AERO.ELA.6.L.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
AERO.ELA.6.L.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalisation, punctuation and spelling when writing. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
AERO.ELA.6.SL.3
Evaluate a speaker's argument, reasoning and use of evidence, identifying claims that are not supported. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
MYP criteria
- Criterion A — Analysing
- Criterion D — Using language
ENGAGE
Does It Feel Finished?
Imagine that a classmate writes, “Across the sandy path.” You understand the words, but the thought feels unfinished. Now consider, “We followed the sandy path.” This time, you know who acted and what happened. Complete sentences help your reader follow your meaning. In this lesson, you will test groups of words, repair incomplete sentences called fragments and separate complete thoughts that have been joined incorrectly. By controlling your sentences, you can make descriptions of places such as Al Zubarah clear and accurate.
Think about it
- What makes a group of words feel complete?
- How can punctuation help a reader?
EXPLORE
Read and Inspect: A Visit to Al Zubarah
Read the original extract
On Thursday, our class visited Al Zubarah. The morning air felt cool, and the bus hummed along the road. When we reached the visitor centre. Our guide, Mariam, welcomed us and pointed towards the old walls. She explained that traders, craftspeople and pearl divers had once lived near the coast. Everyone listened closely because the objects in the display revealed details of daily life.
We then followed a marked path across the site. The path was sandy we walked carefully. Beside a low stone wall. I sketched the shape of a courtyard in my notebook, while my partner counted the doorways. A seabird circled above us, and a light breeze moved across the open ground. At the final stop, Mariam asked us to share one observation. I raised my hand I described the careful way the buildings had been arranged. Before we returned to the bus, we checked that no litter remained behind. The visit gave us new questions to investigate in class.
Read like an editor
Some sentence errors have been included deliberately. Look for thoughts that feel unfinished or pushed together.
Think about it
- Which two groups of words are fragments?
- Where have two complete thoughts been joined without correct punctuation?
- How do the complete sentences help you understand the visit?
EXPLAIN
How Sentences Work
1. Test for a complete sentence
A complete sentence expresses a complete thought. It normally has a subject and a complete verb. Ask: Who or what is the sentence about? What does the subject do, have or feel? For example, “The class visited Al Zubarah” has the subject “the class” and the verb “visited”. It can stand alone.
- Subject test: Can you identify who or what the sentence is about?
- Verb test: Can you identify what the subject does, has or feels?
- Complete-thought test: Can the words stand alone without leaving an important question?
2. Repair a fragment in three ways
| Method | Fragment | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Attach a complete thought after it | When we reached the visitor centre. | When we reached the visitor centre, Mariam welcomed us. |
| Attach it after a complete thought | When we reached the visitor centre. | Mariam welcomed us when we reached the visitor centre. |
| Remove the word making it dependent | When we reached the visitor centre. | We reached the visitor centre. |
A fragment may also be missing a subject or verb. “Beside a low stone wall” has neither a clear subject nor a complete verb. You can add both: “A wooden sign stood beside a low stone wall.”
3. Repair a run-on
| Repair | Example |
|---|---|
| Use a full stop and capital letter | The path was sandy. We walked carefully. |
| Use a semicolon between closely related complete thoughts | The path was sandy; we walked carefully. |
| Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction | The path was sandy, so we walked carefully. |
A comma alone is not enough
“The path was sandy, we walked carefully” is a comma splice. Use a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma with a conjunction such as and, but or so.
MYP_PRACTICE
Become the Editor
Return to the Al Zubarah extract and edit the four deliberately incorrect groups of words. First classify each one as a fragment or run-on. Then rewrite it as one or more complete sentences. Use capital letters and punctuation accurately, and explain one choice using the sentence frame provided.
- Underline the subject once and the complete verb twice in each complete thought.
- Label each error F for fragment or R for run-on.
- Repair “When we reached the visitor centre” in three different ways.
- Repair each run-on with a full stop, semicolon, or comma and conjunction.
- Check: “My revision is correct because…”
EXIT_TICKET
Before you close this lesson
Think about it
- Which test helps you recognise a fragment most reliably?
- Which run-on repair would you use in your next piece of writing, and why?
Watch
Independent and Dependent Clauses
Janet Bergman · 5 min
Learn to distinguish complete independent clauses from dependent clauses that cannot stand alone.
Before you watch: What does a group of words need in order to express a complete thought?
- How can you identify a dependent clause?
- Combine an independent and a dependent clause to create a complete sentence.
Interactive practice · sentence repair
Repair the Field Notes
Classify and repair each field note. Use at least two different repair methods, then check every sentence for a subject, complete verb, capital letter and correct final punctuation.
Check your answer
Task
These field notes contain fragments and run-ons.
Items
Moves to try
Sentence frames
Labels you can use
Your answer
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Key vocabulary
- sentence
- A group of words that expresses a complete thought.
- fragment
- An incomplete group of words punctuated as a sentence.
- run-on
- Two complete thoughts joined without correct punctuation.
- semicolon
- A punctuation mark that can connect closely related complete thoughts.
Practice questions
0/3 correct
Level 1 · Criterion A
Which group of words is a complete sentence?
Level 1 · Criterion A
Why is “Beside a low stone wall” a fragment?
Level 2 · Criterion D
Which option correctly repairs “I raised my hand I described the careful arrangement of the buildings”?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 2 · Criterion D
Repair “When we reached the visitor centre” in three different ways.
Level 3 · Criterion D
Rewrite “The path was sandy we walked carefully” in two correct ways. Explain how the punctuation changes the relationship between the thoughts.
Reflect & track
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