![]() ![]() Even still, if it doesn’t express a complete thought, it’s a fragment (the fragment “ By the door?” versus the complete sentence “ Should I leave these by the door?“). A fragment might look like a sentence because it contains punctuation like a question mark (?) or exclamation point (!). Often, this is because the phrase doesn’t contain a subject or verb. A sentence fragment is a group of words that fails to express a complete thought. Is a Question a Fragment?Ī question can be a fragment, but this isn’t always the case. Then, you turn around and say, “Please stop.” It’s understood that you’re referring to the boy (subject) and requesting that he cease kicking (complete thought). The child keeps kicking your chair and disturbing you. Therefore, “stop” is not a fragment because it expresses a complete thought and an implied subject as well as contains a verb.įor example, imagine you are sitting on a train and there is a small boy in the seat behind you. However, the subject is actually implied or understood, meaning it’s contained in the way we form the verb. This might be confusing since sentence fragments are usually incomplete thoughts that are missing a subject or a verb the command “stop” might seem like a verb without a subject. Consider the sample clauses and sentences below: A sentence fragment may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, but it doesn’t express a complete thought and can’t stand on its own. It is missing an element like a subject or a verb, making it incomplete. What is a Sentence Fragment?Ī sentence fragment is a group of words that look like a sentence but is not. A sentence fragment occurs when your sentence lacks a subject, verb, or complete thought. Then, we’ll show you how to spot them with sentence fragment examples as well as the easiest ways to fix fragments fast. First, we’ll look at the sentence fragment definition and the types of fragments. In the same way, nor can you write half a sentence. You can’t tell half a story without annoying someone. Or, you can attach the fragment to an existing complete sentence. Easily fix a fragment by revising your words to include a missing subject or verb.Watch out for participle phrases and appositives when you create sentences.Since independent clauses are complete sentences, they are not fragments. ![]() Since dependent clauses can’t stand on their own, they are a type of sentence fragment.Even though some fragments have punctuation, they are still incomplete sentences.Fragments are often missing a subject or verb.When a group of words doesn’t form a complete thought, that’s a sentence fragment.So, it is good to have a friend give it a read too. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear, not what is actually written. Whatever you do, when you have what you feel is a completed sentence read it aloud and make sure it is clear. In some cases, they simply require a comma to connect the two parts. This means that you will need to make sure that your new sentence has a subject, verb, and complete fluid thought. If it lacks a main clause, just make sure the clause is complete. When you are working to transition a fragment to a full sentence there are basically one of two things to do. ![]() This is often the most confusing form of fragments. This is when a clause begins the common subordinators (after, although, because). You will notice that many fragments have subordinators paired with a relative clause. These phrases function as adjective and do complete the need for a total thought. Those are verbs that end in -ed or -ing, based on which word tense we are satisfying. You can also look for participle phrases. If anyone of those three are missing, you have yourself a fragment. When deciding if you are working with one look for any of those three pieces to be missing. Without a main clause the sentence lacks a subject, verb, or complete thought. What is completely absent is a main clause. They will often start with capital letter and have end punctuation. What often throws students for a loop, when dealing with sentence fragments, is that most fragments will follow standard punctuation and capitalization rules. How to Find Sentence Fragments and Correct Them ![]()
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