4. Completing the Thought - Introduction
Some sentences have both nouns and verbs, but they cannot stand alone because you expect something else to follow.
Completing the Thought
Incomplete Idea: The player who was injured
Complete Idea: The player who was injured limped off the field.
In the example above of an incomplete idea, you expect something else to follow. What is the injured player doing? The second sentence answers this question, and therefore expresses a complete idea; the phrase "limped off the field" completes the thought.
Directions: In the table, review the ideas in the left-hand column. Then, select whether each idea on the left is a complete thought or is an incomplete thought. Fast
Ideas
Complete
Incomplete
1. If you don't want to go.
2. A sandwich that has turkey and lettuce.
3. Lisa wants that ice cream flavor.
4. The instructor who teaches biology.
5. While driving across the prairie, we saw cows.
6. Because the engine light is on.
7. A method for dealing with stress.
8. Making cookies from scratch during the holidays.
9. My uncle's dog that always ran up to greet us when we arrived at the house.
10. The country has endured many civil wars over the last 20 years.
Ideas
Complete
Incomplete
1. If you don't want to go. Incomplete
2. A sandwich that has turkey and lettuce. Incomplete
3. Lisa wants that ice cream flavor. Complete
4. The instructor who teaches biology. Incomplete
5. While driving across the prairie, we saw cows. Complete
6. Because the engine light is on. Incomplete
7. A method for dealing with stress. Complete
8. Making cookies from scratch during the holidays. Incomplete
9. My uncle's dog that always ran up to greet us when we arrived at the house. Incomplete
10. The country has endured many civil wars over the last 20 years. Complete
To determine whether each idea is a complete or incomplete thought, we need to analyze if there is enough information provided to form a complete idea or if something else is expected to follow.
1. If you don't want to go.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what will happen if the person does not want to go.
2. A sandwich that has turkey and lettuce.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what will happen with the sandwich.
3. Lisa wants that ice cream flavor.
Complete - It is a complete thought because it provides a clear idea of Lisa's desire for a specific ice cream flavor.
4. The instructor who teaches biology.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what the instructor who teaches biology is doing.
5. While driving across the prairie, we saw cows.
Complete - It is a complete thought because it provides information about what was witnessed while driving across the prairie - seeing cows.
6. Because the engine light is on.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what will happen or what needs to be done because the engine light is on.
7. A method for dealing with stress.
Complete - It is a complete thought because it provides information about the subject of the sentence - a method for dealing with stress.
8. Making cookies from scratch during the holidays.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what will happen with making cookies from scratch during the holidays.
9. My uncle's dog that always ran up to greet us when we arrived at the house.
Incomplete - It is an incomplete thought because it does not specify what the uncle's dog does when it runs up to greet the speaker.
10. The country has endured many civil wars over the last 20 years.
Complete - It is a complete thought because it provides information about the subject of the sentence - the country enduring civil wars over a specific period of time.
Ideas:
Complete:
1. If you don't want to go.
3. Lisa wants that ice cream flavor.
5. While driving across the prairie, we saw cows.
7. A method for dealing with stress.
10. The country has endured many civil wars over the last 20 years.
Incomplete:
2. A sandwich that has turkey and lettuce.
4. The instructor who teaches biology.
6. Because the engine light is on.
8. Making cookies from scratch during the holidays.
9. My uncle's dog that always ran up to greet us when we arrived at the house.