- 1). Speak each sentence with someone or something doing an action. Complete sentences must have a subject, otherwise the sentence is a fragment. For instance, a complete sentence is, "The sitcom was much funnier in the late 90s." A fragment is, "Funnier in the late 90s."
- 2). Express the action, existence or occurrence of the subject using verbs. Sentences spoken without an identifiable action are fragments. For instance, "Charlie, for example." This sentence is a fragment because there is no identifiable action. A complete sentence with a verb is, "Charlie , for example, refused to chase strings like other cats." The subject is "Charlie" and the verb is "refused to chase."
- 3). Avoid starting sentences with danger words such as "if," "when" and "because." When used at the beginning of a sentence, a follow-up is required that is often left out. To illustrate, "Because she left" implies a follow up phrase is to come. A complete sentence would be "Because she left, I have no ride home." The phrase, "Because she left," works better at the end of the sentence.
- 4). Speak with adherence to proper punctuation. Pause briefly where punctuation demands, such as commas, periods and semi-colons.
- 5). Ensure the subject and verb agree with each other. For instance, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural. For example, "The group of screenwriters are holding off for more money." "Group" is singular, therefore the main verb, "are holding," should be the singular, "is holding."
- 6). Speak with a correct parallel structure when using more than one phrase in a sentence. For example, "Terry stole the basketball, ran down the court and the final point was scored," is not parallel form because the last phrase puts the action behind the subject. The correct statement is "Terry stole the basketball, ran down the court and scored the final point."
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