Question

Review the following passages for sentence fragments, comma splices, and run on sentences. Correct all errors where necessary, and bold each correction.

• “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of the noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

• “I believe that today more than ever a book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it. We must search for fragments, splinters, toenails, anything that has ore in it, anything that is capable of resuscitating the body and the soul.”

• “I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

• “We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”

• “For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and of valor. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and of those who--one word--love. His soul expanded. But for a moment only.”

• “The lamp on the rocks on the side of the hill was little more than a mote of light and after a while they walked back. Everything too wet to make a fire.”

• “Then, slowly, the shining dwindled until it, too, was gone, and there was nothing but stars and starlight. No shadows. No fear. Only the stars and the clear darkness of space, quite different from the fearful darkness of the Thing.”

Answer 1

It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. this was the age of wisdom, was the age of foolishness and it was the epoch of belief. It was an age of unbelief, a season of light, a time of darkness, a spring of hope, a winter of despair. We had it all before us, we didn't have it before us, all of us went directly to Heaven and we all went the other way.—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of the noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
• “I believe that today more than ever a book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it. We must search for fragments, splinters, toenails, anything that has ore in it, anything that is capable of resuscitating the body and the soul.”
• “I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake, I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
• “We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with asleep.”
• “For in a swift radiance of illumination he saw a glimpse of human struggle and valor. Of the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time. And of those who labor and of those who have one-word love. His soul expanded. But for a moment only.”
• “The lamp on the rocks on the side of the hill was little more than a mote of light and after a while, they walked back. Everything too wet to make a fire.”
• “Then, slowly, the shining dwindled until it, too, was gone, and there was nothing but stars and starlight. It has no shadows and no fear. Only the stars and the clear darkness of space, quite different from the fearful darkness of the Thing.”