Is a comma before however ever right?

Inside one sentence, yes: we made it, however, with a minute to spare. Between two complete sentences, no. There it needs a semicolon or a period in front: the bus was late; however, we made it.

Which standard is this?

Texas names it for eighth grade editing (TEKS 8.10.D.i asks students to avoid splices, run-ons, and fragments). In the Common Core, run-ons start at L.4.1.f and are expected in every piece of writing after that.

8th grade run-on sentences

8th grade run-on sentences worksheets

Eighth grade run-on worksheets go after the comma splice in its grown-up forms: sentences that already have commas in them, and splices built on however and therefore. Your child writes the missing period and capital. The choice version adds semicolon repairs, so they see how a semicolon can join two sentences where a comma cannot.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll fix

Each line runs two sentences together. Add the missing period and capital letter to split them.

The garden grows more tomatoes than its members can eat the extras go to a pantry.
Fixed: The garden grows more tomatoes than its members can eat. The extras go to a pantry.
The eighth graders who ran the book swap collected four hundred novels many were new.
The online catalog lists every library book students can request any title.

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on an 8th grade sheet

8th grade sheets draw from 52 sentences, 7 to a page. None of these sentences are on 7th grade sheets. 7th grade sheets print 8 to a page.

A few of the sentences, as the answer key corrects them:

The orchestra’s oldest cello is two centuries old. Its wood is the color of coffee.
When the update froze, Mei restarted her laptop. Every file she had saved was gone.
My grandfather, who was a carpenter, built our table. Its legs look like tree trunks.

Fix it. Each line runs two sentences together. Add the missing period and capital letter to split them. 7 sentences to fix per page.
Choose the sentence. Circle the letter of the correctly punctuated sentence. 7 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

The error to hunt now is the however splice. Kids treat however like and, so they write the bus was late, however, we made it. Show them that however can move (we made it, however) and and cannot. A word that moves around is not joining anything, so a period or a semicolon has to do the joining. After the sheet, have your child search a recent essay for however and therefore and check the mark in front of each one.

Watch for: Kids split at the first breath instead of the end of the idea. Have them find the two parts that could each stand alone as a sentence; the split goes where the second one starts. A part that opens with when, because, or if can't stand alone, so it stays attached to the sentence after it. Kids think a comma fixes a run-on. A comma alone makes a comma splice, which is still a run-on wearing a disguise. It needs a period or a comma plus a joining word.

Common questions about 8th grade run-on sentences

Is a comma before however ever right?: Inside one sentence, yes: we made it, however, with a minute to spare. Between two complete sentences, no. There it needs a semicolon or a period in front: the bus was late; however, we made it.
Which standard is this?: Texas names it for eighth grade editing (TEKS 8.10.D.i asks students to avoid splices, run-ons, and fragments). In the Common Core, run-ons start at L.4.1.f and are expected in every piece of writing after that.

8th grade run-on sentences worksheets

The kind of sentences you'll fix

What's on an 8th grade sheet

How to teach this

Common questions about 8th grade run-on sentences

Related worksheets

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