Key to Editing Exercise 2 – Sentence Boundaries: Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices
1. Fragment. Possible Correction: We decided not to proceed with the plan, even though the CEO and the board approved it.
2. Fragment. Possible Corrections: If your candidate has excellent qualifications and is hired by December 1, you will receive a $1000 bonus.
OR Your candidate must have excellent qualifications and be hired by December 1.
.
3. Fragment. Possible Correction: I sat in the waiting room for three hours, hoping to get a chance to talk with the director.
4. Fragment. Possible Corrections: After reading the article in Inc. Magazine about companies that distribute donated office equipment to nonprofit groups, I decided to find out more about it.
OR I read an article in Inc. Magazine about companies that distribute donated office equipment to nonprofit groups.
5. Fragment. Possible Correction: The board carefully reviewed all the material it had received, but then voted not to approve the request.
6. Fragment. Possible Correction: In this class we will be studying four kinds of messages: routine requests, routine announcements, bad news messages, and persuasive messages.
7. Fragment. Possible Correction: I was responsible for many of the day-to-day duties of running the center, for example greeting visitors, answering the mail, supervising the office staff, and coordinating activities with other departments.
8. Correct.
9. Fragment – though it could be considered correct according to the exception to the fragment rule that it is acceptable to use fragments for stylistic reasons, for example to imitate the rhythms of speech or as a way of creating emphasis. Possible Correction: The special delivery arrived at 11:59, not a moment too soon.
OR The special delivery arrived at 11:59—not a moment too soon.
10. Run-on. Possible Corrections: I