Worksheets › Fragments & Run-Ons (Grades 2-4)

Free Printable Sentence Fragment and Run-On Worksheets (Grades 2-4)

Two errors dominate elementary writing and they are opposites: a fragment stops too soon, a run-on never stops. These sheets cover spotting each one and - more usefully - the three standard ways to repair a run-on, since which one to use is a real choice about how the ideas relate.

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Fragments and Run-Ons - Grades 2-4

The four kinds of sentence

What kind of sentence is this?

Give me back my book!

What kind of sentence is this?

How quickly that summer went by!

What kind of sentence is this?

Where did you put my shoes?

Spotting a fragment

One of these is a fragment. Which one?

Fixing a fragment

Which one fixes this fragment?

Three brown puppies in a cardboard box.

Which one fixes this fragment?

Sang every song twice.

Which one fixes this fragment?

A cold wind from the north.

Spotting a run-on

10.

Three of these are punctuated correctly. Which one is a run-on?

11.

Three of these are punctuated correctly. Which one is a run-on?

12.

Three of these are punctuated correctly. Which one is a run-on?

Three ways to fix a run-on

13.

Which repair is correct? Three of these are the mistakes people make when they try to fix a run-on.

Ana packed the tent Dad packed the food.

14.

Which repair is correct? Three of these are the mistakes people make when they try to fix a run-on.

The museum closes at five we should leave now.

15.

Which repair is correct? Three of these are the mistakes people make when they try to fix a run-on.

The class lined up at the door the teacher counted heads.

Sentence, fragment, or run-on?

16.

Read it carefully. What is this group of words?

It rained we stayed in.

17.

Read it carefully. What is this group of words?

Stop at the red light!

18.

Read it carefully. What is this group of words?

What a huge dog that is!

Answer Key

1.A command - it tells somebody to do something

2.An exclamation - it shows strong feeling

3.A question - it asks somebody for an answer

4.Although she had studied for hours.

5.Because the window was open.

6.Waiting quietly by the door.

7.Three brown puppies in a cardboard box slept in the sun.

8.The choir sang every song twice.

9.A cold wind from the north rattled the windows.

10.Our neighbor grows tomatoes she gives us the extra ones.

11.I like pizza my brother likes pasta.

12.Sam lost his key he climbed in the window.

13.Ana packed the tent. Dad packed the food.

14.The museum closes at five, so we should leave now.

15.The class lined up at the door, and the teacher counted heads.

16.Run-on - two whole ideas with nothing between them

17.Complete - a command, and its naming part is hidden

18.Complete - one whole idea, and the naming part shows

Want practice that adapts to your child?

These printables come straight from Lit Ladder - an adaptive K-12 reading program that gives your child a quick placement check, finds exactly where they are (not just their grade), and moves them up one skill at a time - from hearing the sounds in a spoken word to weighing evidence in a nonfiction text.

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Frequently asked questions

Are these fragment and run-on worksheets free?
Yes - view, print, and share every sheet for free, with no account and no signup.

Do they include an answer key?
Every worksheet has a full answer key at the bottom of the page.

What grades are these fragment and run-on worksheets for?
They are designed for grades 2 to 4.

Does my child need to read the questions alone?
No. Print it and read the instructions aloud if that is what the sheet needs - at these ages the point is the skill, not whether they can decode the directions.

Can I get a different worksheet?
Yes - click “Generate a new sheet” and a fresh set of problems (with a matching answer key) is created instantly.