7.3 Punctuation And Complete Thoughts

Fragments, Run-Ons, And Comma Splices

Punctuation is scored on the CJBAT because it controls where one idea stops and another starts. Three errors dominate this category: the fragment, the run-on, and the comma splice. All three are about how complete thoughts are packaged.

A complete sentence (an independent clause) has a subject, a verb, and expresses a complete thought. "Candidates arrive early" is complete. A fragment is missing one of those pieces or is a dependent clause left to stand alone:

Fragment: "Because candidates arrive early." (The word because leaves you waiting for the main idea.)

Words like because, although, when, since, if, while, after create dependent clauses. A clause that starts with one of them must attach to a complete sentence: "Because candidates arrive early, the line moves quickly."

A run-on crams two complete thoughts together with nothing between them. A comma splice joins them with only a comma. Both are wrong:

Run-on: "The exam has 97 questions it lasts 90 minutes." Comma splice: "The exam has 97 questions, it lasts 90 minutes."

There are four legitimate repairs:

The coordinating conjunctions are the FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. A comma is correct only when one of these follows it to join two independent clauses. A comma by itself never can.

Comma Rules That Show Up

Do not drop a comma between a subject and its verb, and do not sprinkle commas wherever you would pause when speaking. A misplaced comma can even change meaning: "Candidates, who are late, lose the fee" wrongly implies all candidates are late, while "Candidates who are late lose the fee" correctly limits the rule to the late ones.

Apostrophes

Apostrophes do two jobs and one non-job:

• Possession: the officer's report (one officer), the officers' reports (several officers).
• Contraction: it's = it is; they're = they are; don't = do not.
• Never for plurals: two IDs, not two ID's.

The classic trap is its vs it's. It's always means it is (or it has). Its is possessive — "The agency updated its policy." If you can substitute it is, use the apostrophe; otherwise don't.

A Working Routine

• Step 1: Find each complete thought (subject + verb + complete idea).
• Step 2: Check how two complete thoughts are joined — period, semicolon, or comma+FANBOYS only.
• Step 3: Verify each comma matches a rule (intro, series, nonessential, or coordinating).
• Step 4: Confirm apostrophes mark possession or contraction, never a plural.

Apply it fast: punctuation items are usually quick wins once you separate the complete thoughts from the dependent fragments.

Worked Examples

Example 1 — diagnose the error.

"The candidate failed the first attempt, she retook it later."

Two complete thoughts — "The candidate failed the first attempt" and "she retook it later" — are joined by only a comma. That is a comma splice. Any of these fixes it: a period, a semicolon, or "...first attempt, and she retook it later."

Example 2 — fragment.

"Although the score posted online the same day."

Although makes this a dependent clause; there is no main idea. Repair by attaching a complete thought: "Although the score posted online the same day, the official record updates in ATMS."

Example 3 — its vs it's.

"The committee finalized (its / it's) decision before (its / it's) too late."

First blank is possessive (the committee's decision) → its. Second blank means it is too late → it's. Correct: "...finalized its decision before it's too late."

Example 4 — comma changes meaning.

"My partner, Officer Reyes, filed the report." vs "My partner Officer Reyes filed the report."

The commas signal you have only one partner (the name is extra). Without commas, it implies you have multiple partners and are specifying which one. Choose punctuation that matches the intended meaning.

Example 5 — semicolon vs comma.

"The first attempt was scored on the same day; the official record updated the next morning."

Two complete, closely related thoughts are joined by a semicolon — a correct, more formal alternative to a period. A comma in that spot would be a splice. The semicolon is the right tool when two independent clauses are tightly linked and you do not want a coordinating conjunction.

Example 6 — series commas.

"Bring a black or blue pen a government photo ID and your confirmation number."

The series is missing its commas: "Bring a black or blue pen, a government photo ID, and your confirmation number." Commas separate three or more items in a list, and the comma before and (the serial comma) keeps the last two items from blurring together.

Why Punctuation Items Are Fast Points

Punctuation questions reward a simple discipline: locate the complete thoughts first, then judge only how they are joined and separated. Once you can spot a dependent-clause fragment (started by because, although, when, if, since, while) and a comma splice on sight, most punctuation items resolve in seconds. The apostrophe set — possession versus contraction, with plurals taking nothing — is a second quick category. Like agreement, punctuation rewards a fixed routine over instinct, so drilling the four repair options (period, semicolon, comma + FANBOYS, subordinate one clause) pays off directly on test day.