Sentences, Fragments, And Run-Ons

In this engaging grammar tutorial, David and Paige explain the structural differences between simple and compound sentences. Using a digital whiteboard, they break down the core components of sentence construction, defining a simple sentence as consisting of a single subject and predicate, while a compound sentence combines two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction. The video dives into technical grammar terminology in an accessible way, introducing concepts like "independent clauses" and "predicates." A significant portion of the video is dedicated to a common point of confusion: the difference between a compound sentence (two complete thoughts joined together) and a simple sentence with a compound predicate (one subject doing two things). Through specific examples about buying candy and getting sunburned, the narrators visually diagram these differences. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent tool for improving student writing fluency. It moves beyond basic definitions to help students understand sentence variety and the mechanics of combining ideas. The visual diagramming of subjects and predicates provides a clear model for students to analyze their own writing, making it particularly useful for lessons on syntax, editing, and avoiding run-on sentences.

This video provides a comprehensive grammar lesson on the fundamental differences between independent and dependent clauses. Through clear examples and real-time handwriting on a blackboard, the narrators explain that while both clause types contain a subject and a verb, only independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences. The lesson breaks down the structure of a clause and demonstrates how adding elements like subordinating conjunctions transforms a complete sentence into a dependent fragment. The content explores specific grammatical markers that create dependency, such as the words "because," "although," "while," and "unless." It addresses the nuance between spoken English, where fragments are common and understood, and formal written English, which requires complete sentences. The video uses side-by-side comparisons to show how dependent clauses often act as background information or descriptors that must "lean" on an independent clause to make sense. For educators, this resource is excellent for tackling the common student problem of sentence fragments in writing. By explaining the "why" behind the rules—specifically looking at how subordinating conjunctions function—it moves beyond rote memorization to conceptual understanding. It is particularly useful for writing workshops, grammar instruction, and editing sessions to help students construct more complex, varied sentences with "vim and vigor."

This video provides a fundamental overview of sentence structure, defining a sentence as a "grammatically complete idea" composed of specific functional parts. Narrators David and Paige introduce the concept of syntax—the ordering of language—and break down the two essential components found in every sentence: the subject (the noun or pronoun part) and the predicate (the verb part). Using clear handwritten examples on a digital blackboard, the lesson explores various types of sentences to illustrate these concepts in action. The video analyzes a standard descriptive sentence ("The great big dog licked my face"), a minimal two-word sentence ("I am"), and an imperative command ("Pick up that muffin!") to demonstrate how subjects can sometimes be implied rather than explicitly stated. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms as it demystifies core grammatical terminology. By visually separating subjects and predicates and addressing tricky cases like commands, it helps students understand not just what a sentence looks like, but how it functions. This foundational knowledge supports better writing skills, reading comprehension, and the ability to distinguish complete sentences from fragments.

This engaging animated video introduces elementary students to the concept of run-on sentences using a humorous and clear approach. Narrated by an enthusiastic cartoon character, the video begins by defining what a proper sentence is—a group of words with a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. Through simple examples like "The dog plays catch," it establishes the baseline for correct sentence structure before introducing the "villain" of the lesson: the sneaky run-on sentence. The video characterizes run-on sentences as "greedy" and "sneaky" because they try to cram two complete thoughts into a single sentence without permission. Using visual metaphors like a character sneaking through a jungle and leaking pipes, the narrator explains that run-ons contain two sentences inside one. The video then transitions into a practical workshop mode, guiding viewers through three specific examples of run-on sentences. For each example, the narrator asks the viewer to identify the break point, pauses to allow for thinking time, and then demonstrates exactly how to split the run-on into two correct sentences using a period and a capital letter. Ideally suited for 2nd through 4th grade language arts classrooms, this resource is excellent for introducing editing skills and sentence structure. It simplifies the often-confusing concept of run-ons by limiting the solution to one method: splitting the sentence with a period. This makes it a perfect foundational lesson for young writers who are just beginning to write longer paragraphs and need to learn where one thought ends and the next begins.

This educational video provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to subordinating conjunctions and their role in sentence structure. The narrator breaks down the fundamental difference between independent and dependent clauses, explaining that while all sentences are clauses, not all clauses are sentences. Using the helpful analogy of a tree (independent clause) and a ladder (dependent clause), the video demonstrates how subordinating conjunctions function to connect these two types of clauses to add context and detail to writing. The content covers key grammatical concepts including the definition of a clause (subject plus verb), the identifying features of sentence fragments, and the distinction between coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) and subordinating conjunctions. Through humorous example sentences involving characters like Herbert and Sir Reginald, viewers learn practical tests—such as the "Yeah? So what?" test—to identify dependent clauses and determine if a sentence is grammatically complete. For educators, this video is an excellent resource for teaching complex sentence structure and helping students avoid sentence fragments. It simplifies abstract grammatical terms into tangible concepts using visual aids and memorable analogies. The video concludes with a comprehensive list of common subordinating conjunctions, making it a useful reference tool for students looking to add variety and sophistication to their writing.

In this engaging grammar lesson, David and his teacher-cousin Beth break down the concept of sentence fragments using a simple, collaborative blackboard style. The video explains that a sentence fragment is an incomplete thought that mimics a sentence by ending with a period but fails to tell the "whole story." Through clear visual examples, the hosts demonstrate the two main causes of fragments: missing a subject (the "who") or missing a predicate (the "what happened"). The video explores three distinct types of fragments: those missing a predicate, those missing a subject, and phrases that lack both (like prepositional phrases standing alone). Using relatable examples like "The pancakes" and "Because of the snowstorm," David and Beth show exactly how to turn these fragments into complete sentences by combining subjects and predicates. The visual use of green and white handwriting on a black background helps distinguish between the naming part (subject) and the telling part (predicate). This resource is highly valuable for upper elementary and middle school language arts classrooms. It provides a non-intimidating entry point into sentence structure, helping students move beyond intuition to understanding the grammatical mechanics of why a sentence is complete. Teachers can use this video to introduce editing skills, support struggling writers who frequently use fragments, or reinforce the fundamental concepts of subject and predicate.

This video debunks the common grammatical myth that starting sentences with conjunctions is incorrect. The narrator, David, explains that while many students are taught this "superstition," professional writers and grammarians agree that starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction like "and" or "but" is grammatically sound. He illustrates how this technique can add dramatic tension and improve the flow of writing, citing style manuals and historical usage to support the argument. The video distinguishes between coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS) and subordinating conjunctions (like "because"), identifying where the confusion often lies. Through a visual analogy of a tree and a ladder, the narrator explains the difference between independent and dependent clauses. He clarifies that while starting with "because" often leads to sentence fragments in student writing, it is permissible as long as the dependent clause is attached to an independent one. For educators, this resource is excellent for upper elementary and middle school writing instruction. It helps move students beyond rigid beginner rules toward more sophisticated sentence variation. Teachers can use this video to address sentence fragments, teach the function of different types of clauses, and encourage students to use sentence-initial conjunctions intentionally for rhetorical effect rather than avoiding them out of fear.

Join an engaging adventure to the 'Desert of Description' where students learn to build 'Transitional Bridges' to connect their ideas. This video uses a narrative quest format featuring a presenter and a robot companion named Mia to explain the purpose and function of transition words in writing. It breaks down transition words into four key categories: Emphasis, Addition, Compare and Contrast, and Order. The video provides clear definitions and modeled examples for each category, using an ongoing story about a character named Finn stranded on a barren island. Through this story, students see exactly how transition words improve flow, clarify meaning, and add sophistication to a narrative. The content moves from identifying existing transition words to selecting the best words to fill in blanks, providing scaffolded practice within the video itself. This resource is an excellent tool for Language Arts classrooms focusing on narrative writing, sentence fluency, or revision strategies. It actively involves students by asking them to pause, think, and complete tasks, making it more than just a passive viewing experience. It addresses the common struggle of 'choppy' writing by visually demonstrating how these words act as bridges between isolated islands of thought.

A catchy, acoustic pop-style song that defines and explains the two fundamental parts of a complete sentence: the subject and the predicate. Through simple, repetitive lyrics set to an upbeat melody, the video provides an auditory mnemonic device to help students remember that the subject tells "who or what" the sentence is about, while the predicate tells "something about the subject." The content focuses specifically on English grammar and syntax. It reinforces key grammatical rules, such as the subject containing the noun and the predicate containing the verb. The chorus emphasizes the concept that combining these two distinct parts creates a sentence that is "complete," effectively teaching the formula for sentence structure. This resource is particularly useful for auditory learners in elementary language arts classrooms. It serves as an excellent "hook" to start a grammar lesson, a background track for sentence-building activities, or a memorization tool for students struggling to differentiate between sentence parts. While the visual is static, the clear audio definitions make it a valuable listening resource.

In this engaging grammar tutorial, Paige and Rosie break down the structure of complex sentences, explaining how they differ from simple and compound sentences. The video uses clear handwritten examples to demonstrate how complex sentences are built by combining one independent clause with at least one dependent clause. Through color-coded sentence analysis, the narrators visually distinguish between the parts of a sentence that can stand alone and those that rely on additional information to be complete. The video explores key grammatical concepts including subjects, verbs, and the critical role of subordinating conjunctions like "when," "although," and "because." By analyzing examples involving birthday cakes and camping trips, the narrators show how these conjunctions transform an independent clause into a dependent one. They also demonstrate flexibility in sentence structure, showing that dependent clauses can appear at the beginning or end of a sentence, and that a single complex sentence can contain multiple dependent clauses. This resource is highly valuable for upper elementary and middle school classrooms as it moves beyond basic sentence identification into more sophisticated writing structures. It provides a clear, visual method for students to check their own writing for fragments and run-ons. Teachers can use this video to introduce subordinating conjunctions, practice identifying sentence components, and encourage students to vary their sentence fluency by combining simple ideas into more nuanced complex sentences.

A lighthearted and clear introduction to the fundamental components of a sentence: the subject and the predicate. Through playful banter and humorous examples involving "goblin hats," the narrators break down sentence structure into easily digestible parts using analogies and visual aids. The video explicitly defines subjects as the actors and predicates as the actions (or states of being) plus their related details. The video covers key grammatical concepts including nouns, pronouns, action verbs, and state-of-being verbs. It specifically addresses the nuance that verbs aren't always physical actions (using the example "I am happy") and clarifies the common misconception that any noun in a sentence might be the subject. This resource is highly valuable for elementary and middle school language arts classrooms. It provides a non-intimidating entry point for sentence analysis, offering teachers a concrete metaphor (the car analogy) and a memorable catchphrase for predicates ("the verb and its pals"). It helps students move beyond guessing to systematically identifying sentence parts.

This humorous and engaging animated video introduces students to the concept of sentence fragments versus complete sentences. Through a series of quirky scenarios featuring a narrator who loves his shopping cart, the video explains that a complete sentence requires both a subject and a verb to express a complete thought. It uses clear visual aids and text overlays to demonstrate how to identify these essential components in simple sentences like "The dog plays catch." The video contrasts complete sentences with sentence fragments, providing examples of groups of words that lack either a subject or a verb. It breaks down examples such as "The book under the table" (missing a verb) and "Ran to school" (missing a subject) to show why these are incomplete thoughts. The narrator's comedic commentary on the confusion caused by fragments helps emphasize the importance of clarity in writing. Ideally suited for elementary English Language Arts classrooms, this resource simplifies abstract grammar rules into concrete examples. It is perfect for introducing sentence structure, reviewing the roles of subjects and verbs, or helping students who struggle with run-on sentences and fragments in their own writing. The memorable examples and repetition make it an effective tool for visual and auditory learners alike.