 Assalamu alaikum, welcome to virtual university. In earlier lessons, we have been exploring ways of writing more effective sentences. In today's lesson, we will look at the errors we all make and how to revise these errors. Let us begin. Now, having considered the general elements which make for effectiveness in sentences, we will now take up for common errors in sentence construction. These errors should be avoided by all who write in English. And these errors are, there are three common errors. Number one, sentence fragments. Number two, run on sentences. And these are of two types, few sentences and comma splice. And the third one is the misplaced and dangling modifier. Today we shall only look at sentence fragments. It is a fairly long area to be covered. We will look at the other sentence errors in our coming lessons. We said that a sentence is a group of words that must contain a subject and a verb. If you remember, we said this in the last lesson and in the lesson before that. And we also said that it must express one complete thought. Therefore, a number of ideas must not be huddled together in a single unit. Now a sentence fragment, as the phrase itself tells you a fragment. A fragment is less than a sentence. It is a fragment because it lacks a subject or a verb or because it does not express a complete thought. And you will see a few samples of fragments. Take this one, my neighbor being a typical businessman who prides himself on his efficiency. The other one, because there are two computers on his desk. Now none of these are complete sentences. Why? The writer of these incomplete statements apparently forgot that a sentence must express a complete thought and both these samples do not express complete thoughts. You might say that a professional writers, novelists, short story writers and others, they use incomplete sentences. But if you look carefully, if you look closely at their writing, you will see that their fragments convey complete thoughts and they convey them immediately. Besides, they are professional writers and you are a beginner, a beginner learning to write. So, you should not fall into bad habits. We shall now look at the most common type of sentence fragments and these are four types. Number one, the dependent word fragment, a fragment which lacks, which is dependent. A fragment is based on the fragment word and then the ing and two fragments and the third is the added detail fragment and the fourth is the missing subject fragments. These are all different types and as we go through them, you will find, you will have no problem distinguishing one from the other. Now, let us look at the first one, the dependent word fragment. Some fragments contain a subject and a verb, but they do not express a complete thought. Even though there is a subject, there is a verb, yet the thought is not complete. For instance, take these three samples. Since Ammi was tired or when the postman arrived or after I had switched off the light. Now, all three examples begin with dependent words and the words are since, when, after. All three word groups depend upon another statement to complete the thought. Now, if you added something else to these three examples that you can see on your screen, only then will the sentence be complete. Otherwise, it is as it is, it is a fragment. Take the first one, since Ammi was tired, add something that would complete it. You can write, she took a nap. Since Ammi was tired, she took a nap. In this sentence, in the first one, the fragment begins with a dependent word. You can always locate it. If you know the dependent words, you will have no problem. Look at the second one, when the postman arrived, it begins with a dependent word when. You can complete this by adding, we handed him the letters or we gave him a glass of water. Take the third one, after I had switched off the light. You can add something either before or after this. You can add, there was loud knocking on the front door after I had switched off the light. Right? Now, when you begin a statement with the dependent word, take care that you follow through and complete the thought in the same sentence. Mind you, it has to be completed in the same sentence. Do not begin another sentence, otherwise a sentence fragment will result. Here is a list of common dependent words. You have already seen this list in your last lesson and in your lessons earlier. And the words are, they are there on the screen for you. I will not read them for you, we will move on. Let us practice. There is a group of sentences and you identify the part you think is not a complete sentence. The first sentence, which is the dependent part? It is after the new department store opened, several small shops went out of bed, right? The next one, in that, in number two, it is trying to take a blood sample that is not a complete sentence. Number three, you should not have any difficulty, it begins with a dependent word. Number four, again, the statement that begins with a dependent word is not a complete sentence. And number five, the child, the small child was always active, full stop, running, jumping, climbing on chairs, dashing in and out of rooms. The second half is not a complete sentence. Now there are some dependent words. The list that you saw in, this is in addition to the list that you saw earlier, there are dependent word fragments, which begin with the words who, that, who's or which. Take this sample. Sarah had to clean up the mess that the children left in the veranda. Now notice, here the fragment does not begin with the usual dependent words, but it begins with words like who, that, who's or which. The second sentence, I pass the chemistry course, which I had expected to fail. The dependent statement begins with the word which, which is not the usual dependent word. Number three, yesterday I ran, I ran into a man, full stop. The second half is who was my best friend in school. Now this type of fragment is best corrected by attaching it to the sentence that comes before it. All of these sentences can be corrected by attaching them by removing the full stop and writing the word in small case, right? Sarah had to clean up the mess, remove the full stop that the children had left in the veranda. I pass the chemistry course, remove the full stop, which I had expected to fail. Number three, yesterday I ran into a man, who was my best friend, right? Now another practice. This practice will give you a sense of the difference between a dependent word fragment and a complete sentence. Turn each fragment into a sentence by adding a statement that completes the thought. Look at these five examples. You have to add something on. When I rang the doorbell, add something, add a statement that will complete the sense of what you have earlier. You can write, when I rang the doorbell, the lights of the house went out. Number two, since I had forgotten my house keys. Now notice over here, it is words like when, since, as. Since I had forgotten my house keys, complete the sentence, you can write, I had to break the door or you can say I had to call the blacksmith, right? Or the ironsmith or whatever. Number three, as I walked into the classroom, complete this by adding a statement. You can have as soon as, as I walked into the classroom, the students stood up or as I walked into the classroom, the fire alarm rang. The sentence, the thought is complete. Number four, unless her temperature goes down, you can add, we will have to consult a specialist. Number five, schools were closed yesterday. Complete the sentence because of the political rally, right? Now the second type of fragment is the ING and two. Now, when a word which ends in ING appears at the beginning of a group of words, a fragment may result. Example, hoping to buy things cheaply. Poor people often go to the Sunday bazaars. Now here the second statement is a complete statement. And the first group of words lack both a subject and a verb, so it is a fragment. Hoping to buy things cheaply, there is no subject and there is no verb. Most people think hoping is a verb and that is why they make the mistake of using it as if it was a complete sentence. Hoping to buy things cheaply is a fragment, which begins with a word that ends in ING. Take the second example of a two fragment. In the sentence, the ladies jogged through the park, the ladies jogged through the park, full stop, to lose weight. Now to lose weight is an infinitive and this phrase cannot stand by itself. Now there are two ways of correcting ING and two fragments and these are one, you can either correct the fragment, you can connect the fragment to the sentence it explains, right? Or you can create a complete sentence by adding a subject and verb to the fragment and revise the material as necessary. Take the first example, hoping to buy things cheaply, poor people often go to the Sunday bazaar. What have you done over here? Over here you have connected the fragment hoping to buy things cheaply to the rest of the sentence, right? And the fragment does not remain anymore, the sentence is explained, right? Now remember to put a comma after an ING or a two word group that starts a sentence. A sentence that starts with ING or a two word group remember to put a comma after that. The second one which was an infinitive, you can create a complete sentence by adding a subject and verb to the fragment and you can revise the material as necessary. Example, you can take the same sentence, poor people often go to the Sunday bazaar, will stop, they hope to buy things cheaply. What have you done over here? You have made it, you have made into an entirely new sentence, you have got one sentence, poor people often go to the Sunday bazaar and the second half is, second part is a new sentence, you added the subject they and you have got the verb hope, they hope to buy things cheaply. The ladies jog through the park full stop one sentence, create another one, they wanted to lose weight. What have you done over here? You have created a new subject and that is the pronoun they which is referring to the ladies in the first sentence and they wanted, wanted is a verb. So, there are two ways of correcting I and G and two fragments, I am repeating again you can connect it to the sentence or you can create another sentence, right? A short practice session for you, there are a group of sentences and first you identify the I and G or the two fragment in each of these following items. Then rewrite the correct version using any of the two methods that I have just discussed. Take the first one and I will do it with you, the rest you can do on your own. Police officers stood all over the road, first sentence, second is directing traffic around the accident. Now this is a fragment and the word begins with the word directing ends with I and G. So it is an I and G fragment. How will you correct this sentence, this fragment? You can do it either by creating a new sentence or by connecting it to the earlier one. You can create a new sentence, write a new sentence. Police officers stood all over the road full stop, they were directing traffic around the accident. All you did over here was add the pronoun they which is the subject and the verb were directing. Look at the next one, rising high into the sky, the huge yellow kite could be seen for miles. The first half is the I and G fragment, rising high into the sky. You can join this to the next sentence. Just add a comma, add a comma where the I and G phrase ends, rising high into the sky comma, the huge yellow kite could be seen for miles. Verse number 3, Sarah painted a landscape to enter the contest. Now this is a two fragment, a fragment that begins with the word to enter. So correct it, you can create a new sentence. Sarah painted a landscape, full stop, one sentence, create the next one, she wanted to enter the contest. Number 4, to get off the diving board, the swimmer did a somersault. Correct this sentence by writing, the swimmer wanted to get off the diving board, full stop, he did a somersault. That was the I and G and two fragment. Let us look at the third type of fragment. And this type, this is another common type of fragment. It begins with one of the following words, words like like including such as for example, for instance accept without especially and also. Now all these words that I have read out, if you look carefully, if you look closely, they are all words that give you a feeling of adding on, right? All these words introduce an additional point that is the meaning behind these words. All these words introduce an additional point or example to what has already been stated. And you have the example, everyone enjoyed the feast, accept the fish. This is a fragment, accept the fish. Now the word accept means that you are adding on, accept the fish. Now if you look at that sentence, it is a very funny, I mean the fragment, the whole meaning is very funny that everyone enjoyed the feast and it was not the fish. The fish was not enjoying it, well that is not the meaning. The second sentence is we had to read several novels including the Ice Age. Now these sentences can be improved. In each of these examples, it is the second word group that lacks a subject and a verb. Accept the fish and including the Ice Age. The Ice Age is the name of a novel. Now in each of these examples, it is the second word group that lacks both a subject and a verb. Now notice that both these fragments, each of these fragments began with an added detail word or a phrase. Now the word accept and the word including are all words with an added detail meaning. Now to correct this type of a fragment, you follow the same two methods that you use for the last type of fragment that is the I, N, G and two fragments. The same formula works over here as it worked for the last one. That is you can add the fragment to the sentence it explains or you can create a new sentence by adding a subject and a verb to the fragment and you can revise whatever words, whatever changes that are necessary you can bring them about. Look at this the next is a practice. You can have a short practice identify the added detail fragment in each of the following items and then write the correct version again using one of the two methods just given to you. The first sentence, the former playmates walk past one another one sentence. The fragment is without saying a word, now you can identify the added detail fragment and it is without saying a word that part is a fragment. You can improve the sentence you can correct it by writing the former playmates walk past one another without saying a word. What have you done over there? You have removed the full stop and joined the word without to the earlier half of the sentence. Number two, for a main dish I often serve meat and vegetables. For example, fish and spinach, now the word for example that is an added detail when you want to add something you use the phrase for example. So, you can improve the sentence you can correct the sentence by writing for a main dish comma I often serve meat and vegetables full stop. For example, I mix fish with spinach. What have you done over there? You have added a subject I and you added the verb mix you have created another sentence and two good sentences which are following one idea. Statement a sentence number three, the policeman searched the room for clues such as old photographs old letters and old receipts correct this? You can do it this way you can add the fragment the fragment part to the main sentence the policeman searched the room for clues such as old photographs old letters and old receipts. Number four, oranges are full of nutrients full stop main sentence and the dependent part the fragment part is especially vitamin C you can correct this by writing oranges are full of nutrients especially vitamin C and the fourth kind of fragment is the missing subject fragment this is a fragment in which there is no subject some word groups are fragments because while they do have a verb they lack a subject in these fragments the verb is there but the subject is missing for example take this sentence she the poor woman paid all her utility bills that is what we are doing all the time full stop but then had little money left over for food now the second half but then had little money left over for food there is something wrong over there look at the next example the nurse held a smiling baby full stop then posed for the photographers now in each of the above examples the first statement is a complete sentence and the second word group is a fragment right now notice then that in each of these fragments it is the subject that is missing the first fragment omits the subject of the verb had and the second fragment omits the subject of the verb posed right the first sentence was the poor woman paid all her utility bills right but then had little money but then she had little money left over for food so what is missing over there in that sentence is the subject she and in the second one the nurse held a smiling baby then posed for the photographer no what is missing there is the subject and the subject there would be then she posed for the photographers now to correct a missing subject fragment you again follow the same two methods that you used for the correction of the earlier types of fragments again that is you connect the missing subject fragment to the sentence that comes before it and then add a joining word if needed for a smooth connection the nurse held a smiling baby you can use a joining word and then pose for the photographers or you can create a new sentence by adding a subject to the fragment normally you will add a pronoun that stands for the subject of the previous sentence like we have been doing earlier you can correct these sentences the poor woman woman paid all her utility bills full stop but she had little money left for her food that is one way for the second sentence you can have the nurse held a smiling baby full stop then she posed for the photographers right. So you have seen the two methods now another practice exercise you identify the missing subject fragment in each of the following items then you can write the correct version using one of the two methods you have learnt now we have given you a lot of practice in these in sentence structure look at the first one the sleeping dog opened one eye to look at the postman fine and then went back to sleep now which is the missing subject fragment it is and then went back to sleep right so you can correct this by adopting any one of the two methods that you have learnt you can write it rewrite it like this the sleeping dog opened one eye to look at the police postman and then it went back to sleep you inserted the pronoun it which refers back to the sleeping dog the subject of the first sentence take the next one each morning my secretary checks the answering machine for messages full stop then opens the mail you can rewrite this as each morning my secretary checks the answering machine for messages then she opens the mail what have you done over here you have again inserted the subject and that is the word she it refers back to the first part where it is the secretary she refers to the secretary in the first sentence number three Mariam skipped her afternoon classes complete sentence and worked on a paper due the next morning this is a fragment lacking a subject how would you correct it so you will write Mariam skipped her afternoon classes and she worked on a paper due the next morning all you have done is insert a subject which is the same as the subject in the first sentence number four the movie had melodious music and popular actors full stop yet made little money at the box office what is wrong over there again it is the same mistake the fragment does not have a subject it is a missing subject fragment you are learning to identify the different kinds of fragments and that is a missing subject fragment you can improve that sentence correct that sentence by inserting a subject and the subject would be it the movie had melodious and popular actors full stop yet it made little money at the box office now shall we review what you have learned in today's lesson you answer each question there are a number of questions on your screen answer each question by filling the correct word or words in the blank space take the first one to be a sentence a group of words must contain a subject and a dash and it must express I am not going to tell you at least not now number two words such as because until and while are known as words because word groups that begin with them depend on another statement to complete the thoughts number three fragments that begin with words such as like especially and for example are known as what kind of fragments number four one way to correct an added detail fragment is to create a new dash space by adding a subject and to the fragment number five one way to correct a missing subject fragment is to add to the fragment right now let us go through those sentences again you should have quickly put down the words on a piece of paper just check if you had the right word this is a review of today's lesson instead of going over it again I have asked you to fill in the blanks just to see if you followed my lecture number one you should have filled in with the verb with the word verb and complete thought you should have in the first blank should have been filled with the word verb and a verb and the second one a complete thought sentence number two there is only one blank and that you should have filled with the word dependent number three as those words tell you like especially and for example they are all added detail they are all words that add to the detail so you should have filled in the blank in number three added detail number four has two blanks the first blank you should have used the word sentence and for the second blank you should have filled in the filled it in with the word verb and the last one there is only one blank and you should have filled it up with the word subject that was a review of now I am going to follow this up with a test you can see these sentences on your screen quickly rewrite the following sentences correct any fragments and you can use any of the methods the two methods that I have that you have learnt I have repeated them so often that you know what to do take the first one we go to Murray Hills during the summer vacations will stop whenever we can of course rewrite that correcting any fragments if there are take the next one our literary circle has only two officers Miss Niazi being president and Mr. Awan being treasurer the word is treasurer correct them let us look at number three living in the city is not always pleasant during the summer months particularly quickly make a note make the corrections number four he hated learning foreign languages full stop Latin French and German especially make the changes next moving up the mountain at a fast pace full stop the soldiers were soon exhausted full stop they were not used to climbing at high altitudes altitudes the word is altitudes where the air was thinner let us look at these sentences you had ample time and all you were required was make minor changes for the first one you could have written we go to Murray Hills during the summer vacations whenever we can comma of course you should have added it on to the first sentence number two sentence number two our literary circle has only two officers comma Miss Niazi being president and Mr. Awan being secretary treasurer right number three living in the city is not always pleasant comma particularly during the summer months full stop number four he hated learning foreign languages comma especially Latin French and German the way the fragment was written that conveyed that it was German especially that was a problem no that he hated it is Latin French and German meaning if you change the position of the word especially you bring it earlier that means all foreign languages he hated them including Latin French and German but the way the fragment was written it conveyed the meaning that it was German especially that right and sentence number five the fragment is the first part moving up the mountain at a fast pace and the second fragment is where the air was thin so you can correct this by writing moving up the mountain at a fast pace comma the soldiers were soon exhausted full stop they were not used to climbing at high altitudes where the air was thin there is no need for a comma in the second one and you just join it to the earlier complete sentence now these were a tick another example when people are scared the hair on their bodies really can stand on end each hair is attached to a tiny muscle which can pull the hair straight up the muscles react together in response to a great fright these are types of sentences that you write in an exam you are under pressure and you do not care for the structure of the sentences now notice that the word groups beginning with when and which are the dependent word fragments so each needs to be added to the sentence that comes before or after it and you can correct it by writing when people are scared the hair on comma the hair on their bodies really can stand on end full stop you made it into one sentence the second sentence each hair is attached to a tiny muscle which can pull the hair straight up you again attach this to the second part of the sentence right the muscles react together in response to a great fright now with that we come to the end of today's lesson and today's lesson was about errors sentence errors that writers that students must avoid and we concentrated on one type of error and that was the fragment the sentence fragment the other three types four types actually there are two but they there are subtypes the others we shall continue with next time in today's lesson we concentrated on sentence fragment and we looked at and we looked at the dependent word fragment we looked at the ing two fragment we looked at the added detail fragment and we looked at missing subject fragment these are the most common types of sentence fragments next time we will look at run on sentences right and a laugh is see you next time.