Dangers outweigh the benefits.
Complete sentence
Fragment
Run-on
The correct answer and explanation is:
The sentence “Dangers outweigh the benefits” is a complete sentence.
A complete sentence must have at least one independent clause, which means it contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a full thought. In this case, the subject is “dangers,” and the predicate is “outweigh the benefits.” It also provides a clear and complete idea, which makes it grammatically correct.
To further break it down:
- Subject: “Dangers” is a noun that tells us what the sentence is about.
- Predicate: “Outweigh the benefits” is the action or what is happening in the sentence. The verb “outweigh” explains the relationship between the subject and the object (the benefits).
The sentence does not leave any thoughts hanging or incomplete, which would be typical of a fragment. It is a simple declarative sentence, which makes a clear statement.
Understanding the other options:
- Fragment: A fragment is an incomplete thought that lacks either a subject, a predicate, or both. For example, “Because the dangers outweigh…” would be a fragment because it doesn’t form a complete idea on its own.
- Run-on: A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined incorrectly, often without proper punctuation or conjunctions. For example, “Dangers outweigh the benefits it is dangerous to ignore them” is a run-on because it has two independent clauses connected incorrectly.
Thus, the correct classification for “Dangers outweigh the benefits” is complete sentence.