What is a comma splice?

A comma splice occurs when you use a comma to join two complete sentences without placing an appropriate joining word between them. The comma just isn’t strong enough to do the job of making one grammatical sentence out of two. Learn to recognize what comma splices look like, and be sure to avoid them in your essays.

Is it lay or lie on the floor?

How to Use ‘Lay’ and ‘Lie’ Lay means “to place something down flat,” while lie means “to be in a flat position on a surface.” The key difference is that lay is transitive and requires an object to act upon, and lie is intransitive, describing something moving on its own or already in position.

How do you tell if it is a fragment?

It does not have to rely on other parts of the sentence to get its point across because it has a clear subject and accompanying verb phrase or predicate. When the full thought is not expressed because either the subject or the verb is missing, you have a sentence fragment.

What is a rambling sentence?

Updated July 30, 2019. Rambling or run-on sentences are sentences that contain several independent clauses in a row, to the point that they sound clumsy and exhausting. In case you need to review, an independent clause is a phrase that could be a whole sentence on its own: I like eggs for breakfast.

What’s the difference between a rambling sentence and a run-on?

A run-on sentence occurs when two sentences are joined without punctuation or a connecting word. A rambling sentence happens when you connect several sentences with the word AND.

What’s the difference between sit and set?

The most common uses of sit and set are similar to those of lay and lie. “To sit” is to be seated. “To set” is to place something somewhere. In these contexts, sit is intransitive and set takes an object.

Is it lie awake or lay awake?

Correct: Last night I lay awake in bed. (It is not being done to anything else.) The past participle of lie is lain. The past participle of lay is like the past tense, laid.

Is sit a complete sentence?

It has a subject and a verb. It also is a complete thought. Example: Sit down! A sentence must also be a complete thought.

Do you say lying down or laying down?

You lie down, but you lay something down. Lie does not require a direct object. Lay requires a direct object. The same rule applies to laying and lying (not lieing—beware of spelling).

How do I fix fragments?

Three Ways to Turn a Fragment into a Complete Sentence

1. Attach. Attach the fragment to a nearby complete sentence. Incorrect: I forgot to eat breakfast.
2. Revise. Revise the fragment by adding whatever is missing – subject, verb, complete thought.
3. Rewrite. Rewrite the fragment or the entire passage that contains the fragment.

Do I use lay or lie?

Lay is a verb that commonly means “to put or set (something) down.” Lie is a verb that commonly means “to be in or to assume a horizontal position” (or “to make an untrue statement,” but we’ll focus on the first definition). In other words, lay takes a direct object, and lie does not.