The Complete Sentence Recognize a complete sentence when you see one. A complete sentence has three characteristics. First, it begins with a capital letter. In addition, it includes an end mark--either a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation point (!). Most importantly, the complete sentence must contain at least one main clause. A main clause contains an independent subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. Check out these examples: The banana rotting at the bottom of Jimmy's book bag has soaked his biology notes with ooze. If a main clause exists in the sentence, you can attach whatever other grammatical elements you need. Look at the additions to the main clause below. All of these additions make complete sentences. A bumblebee flew into Peter's open mouth. Remember this important point: Sometimes you might begin a group of words with a capital letter, then conclude with an end mark, but forget to insert a main clause anywhere in the mix. When this happens, you have written a fragment, a major error in writing. Read the examples that follow: Because hungry sharks flashed on the surface of the waves. (No main clause = a fragment)
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