Complete Sentences, Fragments, and Run-ons
A night harbor full of telegram slips. Drag each slip into Complete, Fragment, or Run-on crates, then press Done. Built for fourth and fifth graders who are sorting sentence types, not filling in a worksheet.
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How to Play Tide Slips
Pick a Tide
Choose Timed or Survival, then Easy, Medium, or Hard. Press Play.
Read the Rack
Six slips wait on the dock. Decide if each one is a complete sentence, a fragment, or two thoughts jammed together.
Fill the Crates
Drag a slip onto a crate, or tap a slip then a crate. Press Reset if you want a clean rack. Press Done when every slip has a crate.
Check and Keep Going
Right slips stay locked. Wrong slips return. Clear a whole rack to load the next cargo and raise your score.
Key Features
Six Slips, Then Done
A whole rack appears at once. Place every slip, press Done, and see which crates were right. Wrong slips bounce back so you can try again.
Drag or Tap
Drag a slip onto a crate, or tap a slip and then a crate. Works with a finger or a mouse. Reset puts unlocked slips back on the rack.
Two or Three Crates
Easy is complete vs fragment. Medium and Hard add a Run-on crate and sneakier lines.
Tide Clock or Lanterns
Sort as many racks as you can in 75 seconds, or play Survival with three lanterns. Score and best haul stay on the dock.
What is Tide Slips?
Tide Slips is a fourth- and fifth-grade grammar sorting game. Players read short harbor-themed lines and drop them into crates labeled Complete, Fragment, and Run-on. A complete sentence has a subject and a predicate and can stand alone. A fragment is missing a complete thought. A run-on smashes two complete thoughts together without the right punctuation or a linking word. Unlike a one-line quiz, a full rack of six slips must be placed before the player presses Done.
Why Play Tide Slips?
Batch Sorting, Not One Button
Kids compare six lines at once, the way they reread a paragraph, then commit with Done.
Built for Grades 4–5
The lines match upper-elementary writing: dependent clauses, missing predicates, and sneaky run-ons.
Touch-First Dock
Drag and tap both work. Reset and Done sit on the board so the mechanic stays obvious.
Replayable Cargo
Slips shuffle every rack. Timed and survival modes keep practice from feeling like a packet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a complete sentence?
A complete sentence has a subject (who or what) and a predicate (what happens) and expresses a full thought, such as “The lantern swung above the wet dock.”
What is a sentence fragment?
A fragment looks like a sentence but cannot stand alone. It may be only a phrase (“After the last ferry left.”) or a dependent clause (“Because the rope was frayed.”).
What is a run-on sentence?
A run-on joins two complete thoughts without a period, semicolon, or conjunction — for example, “The bell rang we ran for the gangway.”
Do I have to drag the slips?
No. Tap a slip, then tap a crate. Drag is optional and works on touch screens.
What grade is this game for?
Fourth and fifth grade. Easy is complete vs fragment. Medium and Hard add run-ons.
Are the slips in English?
Yes. The grammar practice is English. Buttons and labels follow your site language, but the slips stay in English so the skill stays authentic.