🔍 Run-Ons and Fragments: The Two Boundary Failures

Part of Sentence-Boundary Control · Section 2 of 5

Deep DiveUnit: AO6 Technical AccuracyGCSE

This deep dive covers 🔍 Run-Ons and Fragments: The Two Boundary Failures within Sentence-Boundary Control for GCSE English Language. Revise Sentence-Boundary Control in AO6 Technical Accuracy for GCSE English Language with 10 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 2 of 5 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

🔍 Run-Ons and Fragments: The Two Boundary Failures

Sentence-boundary errors come in two forms. Both lose marks. Both are fixable.

Run-on sentence Sentence fragment
Two or more complete sentences written as one, with no punctuation between them.

"The crowd gathered the music started everyone began to move."

Fix: a full stop after each complete thought.		 An incomplete sentence punctuated as if it were complete — it lacks either a main verb or a complete thought.

"Running through the park at midnight. Wondering if she would be seen."

Fix: attach to the sentence before it, or add a subject and main verb.

Quick Check: Which is a run-on and which is a fragment? (a) "Because he was afraid."   (b) "He was afraid he ran he didn't look back."

Practice questions for Sentence-Boundary Control

Which of the following is a run-on sentence?

  • A. The lights went out nobody spoke for a full minute.
  • B. She waited for the bus, clutching her umbrella tightly.
  • C. The rain fell all morning; by noon the streets were flooded.
  • D. Although it was cold, he refused to wear a coat.
1 markfoundation

Which of the following is a sentence fragment?

  • A. The chef smiled at the finished dish.
  • B. Stirring the sauce slowly and carefully for twenty minutes.
  • C. Nobody expected the result.
  • D. He had been cooking since before dawn.
1 markfoundation

Quick recall flashcards

What is a sentence fragment?
<strong>A sentence fragment</strong> is a group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a key part &mdash; usually no main verb, or no subject, or no complete thought.<br><br><strong>Fragment:</strong> <em>&ldquo;Running as fast as possible. Until she could run no more.&rdquo;</em><br><strong>Fixed:</strong> <em>&ldquo;She ran as fast as possible, until she could run no more.&rdquo;</em><br><br><strong>Test:</strong> does the sentence have (1) a subject, (2) a main verb, (3) a complete meaning? If any is missing &mdash; it is a fragment.
What is a run-on sentence?
<strong>A run-on sentence</strong> is when two or more complete sentences are written without any punctuation between them &mdash; no full stop, no semicolon, no conjunction.<br><br><strong>Run-on:</strong> <em>&ldquo;The alarm rang nobody moved.&rdquo;</em><br><strong>Fixed:</strong> <em>&ldquo;The alarm rang. Nobody moved.&rdquo;</em><br><em>or: &ldquo;The alarm rang; nobody moved.&rdquo;</em><br><br><strong>Quick test:</strong> can you put a full stop anywhere in the middle and still have two complete sentences on each side? If yes &mdash; you have a run-on.

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