Predicate is part of a sentence that has a verb that tells the audience something about the subject. Now, a verb

Incomplete sentences. A complete sentence consists of a subject and a predicate. Students often write incomplete sentences when they begin the sentence with an adverbial, dependent clause. Example: "After Coates completed the surveys of the undergraduate participants and distributed a new set of surveys to graduate students." This example of an in complete sentence suggests the writer did not proofread slowly and carefully. Muttering the sentences aloud to yourself as you proofread is a good way to catch incomplete sentences like this one.

• Incomplete sentences. A complete sentence consists of a subject and a predicate. Students often write incomplete sentences when they begin the sentence with an adverbial, dependent clause. Example: "After Coates completed the surveys of the undergraduate participants and distributed a new set of surveys to graduate students." This example of an in complete sentence suggests the writer did not proofread slowly and carefully. Muttering the sentences aloud to yourself as you proofread is a good way to catch incomplete sentences like this one.
• Run-on sentences. A run-on sentence is actually two or more sentences run together without punctuation. Example: "Dr. King's use of metaphor creates striking images that appeal to the imaginations of listeners in his audience people came from their hometowns all over the United States in hopes they might be inspired at the rally in Washington, D.C." The writer should use punctuation after "audience" and before "people." The writer could choose either a semi-colon between these two independent clauses or a period (after "audience") and a capital letter (on "people").

Comma splices. Commas splices are like run-on sentences except that the writer places a comma between the two clauses: "Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions, it is not a usable theory." Commas cannot connect two independent clauses unless a conjunction (such as "and" or "but") also is used. Usually, a semi-colon can repair a sentence with a comma splice. The example could be repaired by using a conjunction ("Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions, and it is not a usable theory"), by using a semi-colon ("Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions; it is not a usable theory"), by making the sentence into a single sentence ("Uncertainly reduction theory is not a usable theory because it has too many conditions"), or by making it into two separate sentences ("Uncertainty reduction theory has too many conditions. It is not a usable theory"). Using the semi-colon in this case might be the strongest construction because you want the writer to associate the two thoughts expressed in each of these independent clauses.

• Comma splices. Commas splices are like run-on sentences except that the writer places a comma between the two clauses: "Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions, it is not a usable theory." Commas cannot connect two independent clauses unless a conjunction (such as "and" or "but") also is used. Usually, a semi-colon can repair a sentence with a comma splice. The example could be repaired by using a conjunction ("Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions, and it is not a usable theory"), by using a semi-colon ("Uncertainty reduction theory includes too many conditions; it is not a usable theory"), by making the sentence into a single sentence ("Uncertainly reduction theory is not a usable theory because it has too many conditions"), or by making it into two separate sentences ("Uncertainty reduction theory has too many conditions. It is not a usable theory"). Using the semi-colon in this case might be the strongest construction because you want the writer to associate the two thoughts expressed in each of these independent clauses.