Complete Sentences Explained

• A complete sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object, conveying a complete thought.
• Complete sentences prevent miscommunication and ambiguity by carrying the writer's intended meaning.
• The length of complete sentences can vary.

Examples of Complete Sentences

• "Stop!" is a one-word complete sentence with an implied "you" as the subject and "stop" as the verb.
• "Mary sang a beautiful song" contains a subject, verb, and object.
• Some complete sentences can contain more than one subject and verb.
• "Finally, I was able to find a pair of jeans I liked, and I did not hesitate to buy it instantly." includes multiple subjects, verbs, and objects.

Requirements of a Complete Sentence

• Subject-verb agreement
• A complete thought
• Correct capitalization
• Correct punctuation

Capitalization

• A complete sentence must start with a capital letter.

Punctuation

• A complete sentence must end with a full stop/period.

Main Clause/Subject-Verb Pair

• A complete sentence needs a subject-verb pair that agrees with each other.
• Sentences can have a subject-verb pair, a compound subject-verb, or a subject-compound verb combination.
• "Mona studies the French language" has the subject-verb pair "Mona studies".
• "Mona and her sister study the French language" shows a compound subject-verb pair.
• "Mona reads and writes French" exemplifies a subject-compound verb pair.
• An independent or main clause makes sense by itself.
• A complete sentence can be a simple, compound, or complex sentence.
• Simple Sentence: one main or independent clause
• Compound Sentence: two independent clauses connected by a comma and a coordinating conjunction
• Complex Sentence: an independent clause and a dependent clause

Incomplete Sentences

• If a sentence lacks a capital letter, subject-verb pair, complete thought, or a period at the end, it is incomplete.
• Fragments and run-ons are considered incomplete sentences.

Fragments

• Fragments lack a subject, verb, or complete thought.
• "Since they sat quietly in the dark corridor leading to the main office" includes a subject-verb pair, and punctuation, but the thought is incomplete.
• "Life very short to complain about small things" lacks a verb.
• "Looking for a caregiver to care for two elderly ladies" lacks a subject.

Run-ons

• Run-ons occur when two or more complete sentences are written one after another with no punctuation.
• Run-on sentences are grammar errors, also referred to as fused sentences.
• "I cook at home several times a week I eat out with my friends several times a week" includes two complete sentences written as one with no punctuation.
• "Sam lived in Canada for few months he decided to move back to the U.S" is a run-on.