FRAGMENTS, FUSIONS & SPLICES – UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR

Among the many errors in sentence structure common in English prose are sentence fragments, fused sentences and comma splices. All three are caused by a misunderstanding of the ways in which independent and dependent clauses can be successfully used and combined, so a basic comprehension of these different types of clauses is necessary. An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and also expresses a complete thought. ‘She wrote an article every month’ is an independent clause, and, like all independent clauses, it is also a correct sentence. A dependent clause, on the other hand, contains a subject and a verb, but it does not express a complete thought. ‘As she wrote her article every month’ is a dependent clause because it leaves the reader wondering ‘What? What happened as she was writing?” A dependent clause cannot be a complete sentence.

A sentence fragment occurs when a writer uses a dependent clause or other incomplete thought such as a phrase or single word as though it were a complete sentence. For example, ‘Before I completed the second trial’ may be a perfectly acceptable part of a larger complex sentence, but it is a dependent clause and cannot stand on its own. ‘I completed the second trial’ can, but the temporal qualifier ‘before’ is gone. To retain that dependent marker and its meaning, an independent clause must follow or precede the dependent clause. ‘Before I completed the second trial, I recruited participants for the third’ or ‘I recruited participants for the third trial before I completed the second one.’ Notice that a comma is required between the two clauses if the dependent clause precedes the independent clause, but is not always necessary when the independent clause comes first.

A fused sentence, which is also called a run-on sentence, is the result of using two independent clauses back to back without any punctuation between them. ‘I devised new methods for the third trial the sample size was paradoxically reduced’ is an excellent example of a run-on sentence because it also demonstrates how unclear language can become when the rules of grammar and punctuation are neglected. Corrections would vary depending on what is intended by ‘paradoxically’ and particularly on whether there is a direct relationship between the ‘new methods’ and the ‘sample size.’ It would probably be best from a stylistic perspective to eliminate that shift from the active voice (I devised) to the passive voice (was…reduced) as well, though to keep it the sixth example below would work. Possible correct versions include:

• I devised new methods for the third trial, paradoxically, by reducing the sample size,

• I devised new methods for the third trial and adopted a paradoxical strategy by reducing the sample size as well.

• I devised new methods for the third trial; however, my colleague reduced the sample size.

• I devised new methods for the third trial after my colleague decided to reduce the sample size.

• I devised new methods for the third trial, but I also made the paradoxical decision to reduce the sample size.

• I devised new methods for the third trial. The sample size was paradoxically reduced.

As the corrected examples show, the grammatical solution can come in a variety of ways, from separation into two complete sentences via a full stop to a closer connection of the two thoughts in a single successful sentence via punctuation (comma and semicolon), a coordinating conjunction (‘and’ and ‘but’), a dependent or independent marker word (‘after’ and ‘however’) and more subtle shifts related to these changes.

A comma splice is very similar to a run-on sentence, but instead of no punctuation, there is a comma between the two independent clauses: ‘I devised new methods for the third trial, the sample size was paradoxically reduced.’ The same corrections apply here: a full stop can produce two sentences; a semicolon with or without a word such as ‘however’ will join the two clauses successfully into one sentence, as will a comma and a coordinating conjunction; or one clause can be rendered dependent through an appropriate marker word.

Why Is Academic Proofreading Important?

Effective academic proofreading is absolutely vital to the production of high-quality scholarly and professional documents. When done carefully, correctly and thoroughly, academic proofreading can make the difference between writing that communicates successfully with its intended readers and writing that does not. No author creates a perfect text without reviewing, reflecting on and revising what he or she has written, and academic proofreading and scientific editing are extremely important of this process.

Why are scientific editing and academic proofreading important for academic and scientific authors? First and foremost, a proofreader brings a fresh and ideally objective perspective to your writing. He or she will almost certainly not be as familiar with your research as you are and in most cases will have no predetermined idea about what you are trying to communicate. This means that a proofreader will be able to focus on exactly what your text does say and catch ambiguities and errors that you, as the author well aware of what you want to say, may read right over without noticing. If the proofreader is a trained professional who is an expert in the English language and a specialist in your subject area, he or she will have the skills to correct and polish your grammar, spelling and punctuation, determine if your references are accurate, thorough and consistent, and ensure that your writing meets the high standards expected in your discipline and field. An academic proofreader will also have the disposition and time to give your writing the exacting attention it requires to ensure that every detail is as it should be so that your work communicates with precision and sophistication. Many members of our research paper editing and proofreading team focus on journal editing, manuscript editing, dissertation proofreading services, thesis editing services and phd thesis proofreading. An academic proofreader can be thought of as an author’s ambassador, and while an author can and should be his or her own ambassador whenever possible, it is always wise to benefit from an ambassador with the appropriate linguistic and academic skills to ensure that your writing represents both you and your work as professionally and effectively as possible. Some of our carefully trained editors and proofreaders work exclusively on PhD thesis editing, master’s dissertation proofreading, bachelor’s dissertation proofreading, thesis editing, dissertation editing, thesis proofreading and dissertation proofreading, applying their education and instructional skills in providing thesis editing and dissertation proofreading services that help advanced students to improve the formatting and language of their theses and dissertations.

Why is journal article editing important for the readers you hope to reach? The most obvious answer is that a journal proofreader is a reader, often the first reader beyond the author of a text, and a reader who acts as an advocate for all future readers. Professional journal proofreaders serve the needs of authors by anticipating the needs of readers, and doing so with an objective but critical eye alert to potential problems. Descriptions of methodology and explanations of trends that seem perfectly clear to the author who is familiar with the material may in fact prove ambiguous, confusing and even misleading for readers who do not possess the same knowledge. Tables and figures that are not clearly designed, labelled and referred to may obscure procedures and findings for viewers instead of highlighting and clarifying them. Arguments presented in language that contains errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation may fail to convince readers even when the evidence presented is extremely persuasive, and terminology designed for communicating in sophisticated and specific ways may lose readers entirely if it is not defined, explained and used with care. An academic proofreader, scientific proofreader, medical proofreader or journal proofreader can detect and help you resolve these and many other kinds of problems that prevent the successful communication of complex and ground-breaking research.

Why is proofreading services important when submitting your scholarly writing for publication? As a general rule, the editors responsible for accepting or rejecting the manuscripts that academics and scientists submit for publication are inundated with text. They receive far more submissions than the journals and publishers for whom they work can ever publish, so they are looking for reasons to reject manuscripts as much as they are seeking reasons to accept them. A manuscript that accurately and precisely adheres to a publisher’s guidelines, boasts a structure that organises material in a logical and effective fashion, and uses language that clearly and efficiently communicates facts and ideas is sure to receive more positive attention and far more likely to be successfully published than a manuscript that does not achieve such a high standard. Since these are the very aspects of scholarly writing that a professional proofreader can help you perfect, engaging the services of a qualified academic or scientific proofreader can prove invaluable, particularly if your manuscript has been rejected due to problems with language and formatting. Once you have benefitted from the proofreading services of a professional proofreader, you will no doubt be able to determine for yourself why PRS proofreading is so very important to successful authors.

If you are in the process of preparing an article for an academic or scientific journal, or planning one for the near future, you may well be interested in a new book, Guide to Journal Publication, which is available on our Tips and Advice on Publishing Research in Journals website.