Semester Review for Final Exam

A sentence fragment does not express a complete thought.
To correct sentence fragments, add what is missing so that the words make sense by themselves & express a complete thought.
Some sentence fragments have a subject & a verb but do not express a complete thought.
Correct these fragments by attaching the fragment to a sentence that comes before or after it.

If you run together 2 or more complete sentences as if they were a single sentence, you create a run-on sentence.
Run-on sentences can be confusing because a reader cannot tell where one idea ends and another one starts.
You can correct a run-on sentence in several ways:
- Rewrite a run-on sentence as 2 separate sentences.
- Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join the 2 sentences.
  - Coordinating conjunctions are the joining words and, or, nor, but, for, so, and yet = FANBOYS.
- Join the 2 sentences with a semicolon ( $;$ ). Use this method ONLY if the sentences are closely related.
  - Notice that the second part of the sentence does NOT begin with a capital letter.

Some sentences are ineffective because they repeat vague ideas or lack useful or interesting details.
Replace repeated ideas with new information.
Add specific details to expand short sentences and express an idea more clearly and completely.
- The details can tell who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Avoid sentences that simply express opinions. They leave the reader asking why?
Add facts, statistics, examples, and other reasons to support your opinion.
Use sensory details to describe how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels.
Add details to various parts of your sentences.

In parallel structure, or parallelism, two or more words, phrases, or clauses are written in the same grammatical form.
When you combine sentences, check for parallel structure. Be sure to express similar ideas in the same way.
Writers use parallel structure to create balance and rhythm in their sentences.

Avoid saying the same thing more than once.
Generally, avoid the unnecessary repetition of words.
Replace a long clause with a phrase, or a phrase with a single word or a few words.
Cut out all empty words/phrases that add little meaning.
Change verbs from the passive to the active voice.

Formal language is used when your reader is in a position of power/authority & you want to discuss a subject in a serious way.
Formal language used in academia
Informal language is used when your reader is a friend or family member or if you want to use casual conversation

You develop an argument in which you state your opinion/claim & support it with logical reasons & relevant evidence
Precise opinion/claim
Supporting evidence/reasons
Formal style
Conclusion which supports the argument/claim.

Use a variety of sentence beginnings
You can start with a subject.
You can start with a subordinate/dependent clause (use a subordinate conjunction to introduce it)
You can use transition words/phrases before the subject