The [Not So} Little Details  

 
Sentences 
 
What is a Sentence? 
● A sentence is a group of words that completes a thought. It has a subject and a verb. 
● Some sentences are short; some sentences are long. Length does not determine if a sentence is 
complete. 
 
Examples:   
● Mary reads every night before she goes to sleep. 
● I’m hungry. 
 
What is a Fragment?  
● A fragment is a group of words that does NOT COMPLETE A THOUGHT. They make you say, “Yes, and...?” 
● Some fragments are short; some fragments are long. Length is not a determiner. 
 
Examples of fragments:   
● Because I have a headache. 
● After eating three cheeseburgers and French fries at lunch with my friends at Heavenly Hamburgers.   
 
How to Fix a Fragment​: Revise. Make it a complete the thought. 
 
● Because I have a headache, I am going to take a nap. 
● I was stuffed after eating three cheeseburgers and French fries at Heavenly Hamburgers during lunch. 
 
What is a Run-On sentence? 
● A run-on sentence is two or more sentences that are either improperly joined by the wrong punctuation 
(usually a comma) or have no punctuation at all. A run-on sentence is a grammatical error. 
● Run-ons are often longer than fragments, but length does not determine if a sentence is a run-on.   
 
Examples:   
● I really like Joe he is such a nice guy. (No punctuation) 
● I really like Joe, he is such a nice guy. (Wrong punctuation—COMMA SPLICE) 
 
SOLUTION​:​ Add the correct punctuation. 
 
● I really like Joe. He is such a nice guy. (Two sentences work) 
● I really like Joe because he is such a nice guy. (Has the needed conjunction) 
 
 
 
 
Apostrophes 
 
Rule #1​: Use an apostrophe when you are using a noun or pronoun to show possession 
● The team’s coach 
● My Grandmother’s birthday 
 
Rule #2​: For nouns ending with an “s” place the apostrophe after the s and do not add any letters. 
● The girls’ gym 
● The volunteers’ efforts 
 
So the meaning of a word can shift with the apostrophe. 
● My teacher’s rules = the rules of one teacher 
● My teachers’ rules= the rules of all the teachers 
 
Capitalization 
 
The main capitalization rule that causes trouble for students is that you have to capitalize all proper nouns. 
Proper nouns are nouns that name a specific person, place, or thing. This might seem simple, but sometimes 
what is a proper noun isn’t always clear. Some common problem areas are the following: 
 
Organizations​: ​Names of organizations are always capitalized (The Elks Club, National Honor Society, 
Republican Party, Democratic Party, etc.). 
 
Schools​: ​Names of particular schools such are always capitalized (The University of Kansas, Kansas State 
University, Washburn University, etc.). However, general names like ​high school​ and c​ ollege​ are not capitalized.  
 
Business​: ​Names of particular businesses are always capitalized (State Farm Insurance, Ford Motor Company, 
etc.), while names for types of businesses are not (bakery, insurance agency, grocery, etc.). 
 
Nationalities​: ​Nationalities are capitalized because they come from the names of particular places (Spanish, 
Chinese, Indian, Hispanic).  
 
Religious Names, Denominations, and Movements​: ​These are specific, so they are capitalized (Christianity, 
Mormonism, Methodism, etc.). 
 
Dates and Days​: The days of the week, months of the year, and holidays are always capitalized, but seasons are 
not. 
 
Specific People​: If referring to a specific person, use a capital (Mr. President vs. previous presidents; “Dad, can I 
have a sleepover” vs. “Your dad is the best!”)