Page 79 - ABCTE Study Guide_Neat

Run-on sentences result when two independent clauses are joined without a conjunction or without
punctuation. A comma splice results when two independent clauses are mistakenly connected with a
comma instead of being separated into two sentences or joined with a conjunction or a semicolon.

Example: Students need to learn correct structure, fragments distract a reader.

Revised: Students need to learn correct structure; fragments distract a reader.

Or: Students need to learn correct structure as fragments distract a reader.

In addition to structural mishaps, students should consistently review their writing for usage problems
such as consistent verb tense, correct word order, and correct use of verbals.

• A verbal is a noun or adjective formed from a verb. Writers sometimes make mistakes
by using a verbal in place of a verb or by confusing different types of verbals. The three most
common verbals are the participle, the gerund, and the infinitive.
• A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed,
as in "The barking dog was hungry."
• A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun, as in "Knitting is a
wonderful hobby."
• An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word "to" plus the base form of a verb that
functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb, as in "She always wanted to learn to fly."

Putting It All Together

Effective communication begins with a clear central idea and builds outward and upward to a strong
conclusion. Experienced writers know that organizational outlines will help them collect and compose their
thoughts.

The first step for developing writers is to compose paragraphs that establish and support a central idea
with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the paragraph. The topic sentence is the most general
sentence in a paragraph as it introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.

Let’s say we wanted to write a paragraph about Austin, Texas. We might begin with the following topic
sentence: Austin is a great place to live.

Once the topic sentence is clear and concise, supporting sentences with simple facts, details, and
explanations should follow. Say we add the following: The mix of politics and music creates a very
diverse community. People don’t always agree with one another, but they listen and try to be
open-minded. The governor once said that a “song sounds sweeter when everyone sings.”

Supporting sentences leads to a concluding statement that summarizes the points and offers the
“reverse” of the topic sentence, such as, Cultural diversity in an atmosphere that encourages free
expression makes living in Austin a unique experience.

Let’s take a look at how this paragraph looks when we put it together:

Austin is a great place to live. It’s not only the “live music capital of the world” but also the state capital of
Texas. The mix of politics and music creates a very diverse community. People don’t always agree with
one another, but they listen and try to be open-minded. Governor Perry once said, “A song sounds