Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 4th Grade sentences & clauses worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet4th Grade · English · Sentences & ClausesSentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences — Answers
Part A: Know the terms
Answer: True
The bus was late. Subject: the bus. Verb: was.
Answer: False
A fragment is only part of a sentence. It is missing something or does not make sense on its own.
Answer: True
I love reading I read every night is a run-on.
Answer: True
Because it was raining does not make sense on its own.
Part B: Sentence, fragment or run-on?
Circle what each group of words is.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: complete sentence
It has a subject (the bus) and a verb (was), and it makes sense.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: fragment
There is no subject. Who ran?
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: run-on
Two sentences are squashed together: I love reading. I read every night.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: fragment
There is no subject or verb. What happened after the walk?
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: complete sentence
Subject: my brother. Verb: plays.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: run-on
Two sentences are joined with nothing between them.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: fragment
It starts with because and does not make sense on its own.
- Acomplete sentence
- Bfragment
- Crun-on
Answer: fragment
There is no verb. What did the dog do?
Part C: Fix the fragments
Each pair has a fragment. Join it to the sentence it belongs to and write one complete sentence.
Answer: We stayed inside because it was raining.
- Also correct: Because it was raining, we stayed inside.
Answer: I found my shoe under the bed.
- Also correct: Under the bed, I found my shoe.
Answer: We ate lunch after the swimming lesson.
- Also correct: After the swimming lesson, we ate lunch.
Answer: Mia smiled when she saw the puppy.
- Also correct: When she saw the puppy, Mia smiled.
Part D: Fix the run-on sentences
Fix each run-on sentence in one of two ways: split it into two sentences, or join the two parts with a comma and a joining word (and, but, so).
Answer: Sam was tired, so he went to bed early.
- Also correct: Sam was tired. He went to bed early.
Answer: It started to rain, so we ran inside.
- Also correct: It started to rain. We ran inside.
Answer: The cake smelled great, but it tasted even better.
- Also correct: The cake smelled great. It tasted even better. Or: The cake smelled great, and it tasted even better.
Answer: My dog loves the park. She runs around for hours.
- Also correct: My dog loves the park, and she runs around for hours.
Part E: Your turn
On Saturday we went to the park. Played on the swings. My friend Leo was there we raced to the big tree. Because Leo is fast. He won the race.
Model answer: On Saturday we went to the park. We played on the swings. My friend Leo was there, so we raced to the big tree. Because Leo is fast, he won the race.
Success criteria:
- Played on the swings given a subject
- Run-on split or joined with a comma and a joining word
- Because Leo is fast joined to a main clause
- Every sentence starts with a capital letter and makes sense
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: