Welcome to the Quick Start Guide on mixed sentences!
This guide will explain:
- What mixed sentences are.
- How to fix “missing subject” mixed sentences.
- How to fix “double subject” mixed sentences.
Course Information
Course Level: Beginner
Time to Complete: 15 mins
Perfect for: Students in WRTG100/101, ENGL103, or anyone who needs a refresher.
Guide Creator: Abby Pernsteiner
Additional Resources
Mixed Sentences 101
What is a mixed sentence?
All sentences are comprised of at least two parts, a subject and a predicate. The subject is the noun which the sentence is about. For example, in the sentence:
Over reading break, the student worked on her paper.
The student would be considered the subject. The predicate, meanwhile, is the action of the sentence. It contains a verb and describes what the subject is doing/what is being done to the subject. So, in the above example, worked on her paper would be considered the predicate of this sentence.
By contrast, a mixed sentence is missing a part. It either has no subject or has two subjects and no predicate. For example:
Over reading break, worked on her paper.
This sentence is missing a subject, leaving the sentence incomplete. In another example:
Over reading break, the student and her paper.
This is missing a verb, and thus the predicate. It is equally incomplete.
Mixed sentences and sentence fragments
Mixed sentences are a little bit different than sentence fragments, which are only incomplete. Mixed sentences often result when the writer starts the sentence with one plan and ends it with another plan, resulting in some missing parts along the way.
For example, in the sentence:
Leah, an interesting companion, someone who would stand up for me.
The predicate is missing. It is uncertain what Leah is doing in the sentence. Rather, she is simply being passively described.
Another example:
When I went for a run also went to the store near my house to get eggs.
Here, the subject is missing. While not every sentence you write or read will be that simple, it is important to keep in mind the following:
- What is the action in this sentence?
- Who or what is doing the action or having the action done to them?
As long as you have both of those, you have avoided a mixed construction.
Your Turn: Test Your Understanding
Think you have a grasp of the information above? Test yourself!
Missing subjects
You know how to identify a mixed construction sentence. The question then becomes how to fix it.
There are two major types of mixed construction: missing subject, and double subject. The first is fairly similar to what we discussed in the previous section: a sentence where the subject is missing. Fixing these is often as simple as asking yourself who is performing the action of the sentence.
Your Turn: Test Your Understanding
Think you have a grasp of the information above? Test yourself!
Double subjects
Here we have another type of mixed construction, in which the sentence contains two subjects and no predicate. This issue is fixed by adding a verb phrase, or predicate, into the sentence. For example:
The teachers of the area, the students who learn from them.
This mixed sentence can be fixed by simply inserting a verb.
The teachers of the area care for the students who learn from them.
Your Turn: Test Your Understanding
Think you have a grasp of the information above? Test yourself!
Additional Resources
If you want to read more on active and passive sentences, click on the link below:
If you would like to talk any of this through then we look forward to talking to you. Book an appointment!