{"id":618,"date":"2018-10-31T08:19:44","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T12:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/?p=618"},"modified":"2024-01-30T15:47:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T20:47:17","slug":"sentence-structure-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-620\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1.png 446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Three errors in fundamental sentence structure strike terror into the heart of any writer.&nbsp;&nbsp; These three errors, the fragment, the comma splice, and the run-on, are occasionally referred to as \u201cThe Axis of Evil.\u201d&nbsp; Luckily, a little bit of knowledge and one single phrase can help you identify these egregious errors.<\/p>\n<p>What you need to know is that these three errors all center on the same concept \u2013 what is a complete sentence?&nbsp; The fragment is an incomplete sentence, and run-ons and comma splices are two (or more) complete sentences written as one.&nbsp; Essentially, all you need to be able to correct these errors is the ability to identify whether or not a sentence (or part of a sentence) is a complete thought.<\/p>\n<p>To do this, all you need to do is ask, \u201cIs it true that\u2026\u201d and read the sentence (or part of a sentence) you\u2019re unsure of.&nbsp; For example, if I asked, \u201cIs it true that while I was running down the street?\u201d would you be able to answer \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019?&nbsp; In this case, the question makes no sense because \u201cWhile I was running down the street\u201d is a dependent clause, an incomplete sentence.&nbsp; If I asked, \u201cIs it true that I was running down the street?\u201d you could answer, \u201cYes, you were running\u201d or \u201cNo, you were not running,\u201d which means, \u201cI was running down the street,\u201d is a complete sentence.&nbsp; \u201cHow does this help me?\u201d you must be wondering.&nbsp; Well, this depends on the error.&nbsp; If you were worried that what you had is a fragment, this could confirm that it is or reassure you that it is not.<\/p>\n<p>A change in perspective is necessary if your worries are more about run-ons and comma splices.&nbsp; The sentence, \u201cI was running down the street I tripped,\u201d is a run-on.&nbsp; If I wanted to see if that was correct, I would simply cover one potential sentence and ask, \u201cIs it true that I was running down the street?\u201d This would tell me that yes, I have at least one complete sentence here.&nbsp; I would then cover the first part and ask, \u201cIs it true that I tripped?\u201d Bingo! I have two complete sentences.&nbsp; The same process works with the comma splice, \u201cI was running down the street, I tripped.\u201d&nbsp; Both the run-on and the comma splice are easily corrected by inserting a period between the two sentences.<\/p>\n<p>For interesting and proper ways of connecting multiple sentences\/clauses, tune in next time for: Varying Your Sentences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three errors in fundamental sentence structure strike terror into the heart of any writer.&nbsp;&nbsp; These three errors, the fragment, the comma splice, and the run-on, are occasionally referred to as \u201cThe Axis of Evil.\u201d&nbsp; Luckily, a little bit of knowledge and one single phrase can help you identify these egregious errors. What you need to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":998,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,18],"tags":[],"coauthors":[22],"class_list":["post-618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-learning-resources","category-tutoring"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Three errors in fundamental sentence structure strike terror into the heart of any writer.&nbsp;&nbsp; These three errors, the fragment, the comma splice, and the run-on, are occasionally referred to as \u201cThe Axis of Evil.\u201d&nbsp; Luckily, a little bit of knowledge and one single phrase can help you identify these egregious errors. What you need to &hellip; Continue reading Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors &rarr;\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Learning Resources\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Athena Buell\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Athena Buell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Athena Buell\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a\"},\"headline\":\"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":441,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Learning Resources\",\"Tutoring\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/\",\"name\":\"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/axis-of-evil-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/axis-of-evil-1.png\",\"width\":446,\"height\":195},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/sentence-structure-errors\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/\",\"name\":\"Learning Resources\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a\",\"name\":\"Athena Buell\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=ga5d1dc37a84f70f7a6d6b404b2fe19a8\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Athena Buell\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.spcollege.edu\\\/learning-resources\\\/author\\\/athena-buell\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources","og_description":"Three errors in fundamental sentence structure strike terror into the heart of any writer.&nbsp;&nbsp; These three errors, the fragment, the comma splice, and the run-on, are occasionally referred to as \u201cThe Axis of Evil.\u201d&nbsp; Luckily, a little bit of knowledge and one single phrase can help you identify these egregious errors. What you need to &hellip; Continue reading Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors &rarr;","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/","og_site_name":"Learning Resources","article_published_time":"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Athena Buell","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Athena Buell","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/"},"author":{"name":"Athena Buell","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/#\/schema\/person\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a"},"headline":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors","datePublished":"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/"},"wordCount":441,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png","articleSection":["Learning Resources","Tutoring"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/","name":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors - Learning Resources","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1-300x131.png","datePublished":"2018-10-31T12:19:44+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-30T20:47:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/#\/schema\/person\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/axis-of-evil-1.png","width":446,"height":195},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/sentence-structure-errors\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Striking Fear in Writers: Sentence Structure Errors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/","name":"Learning Resources","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/#\/schema\/person\/d885ebc486045c15e68b24a349dffc8a","name":"Athena Buell","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=ga5d1dc37a84f70f7a6d6b404b2fe19a8","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/204133c6256c3ddb26fa07ad5f35ad06592cfaac152d2111aee286bb390baabe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Athena Buell"},"url":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/author\/athena-buell\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/998"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1773,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions\/1773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/learning-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}