A complete sentence has a subject (who or what) and a predicate (what they do or are), and it expresses a full thought.
Let's learn
- Complete: “The fox ran into the woods.”
- Fragment: “Into the woods.” (Who? What happened?)
- Start with a capital letter and end with punctuation.
- Read your sentence aloud: does it sound finished?
Watch out for
- Writing fragments such as “Because he was scared.” Add the rest of the thought.
Make it fit your reader
- Easier: Fix three fragments.
- Harder: Join two short sentences with “and”, “but” or “so”.
Practice activity
- Fragment fix: turn five fragments into complete sentences.
- Sentence join: combine short sentences using and, but or so.
Tip for grown-ups: Keep practice short and cheerful: 10 to 15 minutes is plenty for young readers. Praise effort, let your child point to the words, and stop while it is still fun.