Sentence Fragment Examples

What Is a Sentence Fragment?

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks the necessary components to stand alone as a full thought. Unlike complete sentences, fragments do not express a complete idea and often leave the reader hanging.

Sentence fragments can occur in various forms, such as dependent clauses, phrases, or missing key elements like a subject or verb.

Examples:

• "Because it was raining."

• "Running through the park."

• "When the show starts."

Common Causes of Sentence Fragments

Several common issues cause sentence fragments:

Dependent Clauses: These clauses cannot stand alone and need an independent clause to complete the thought.

• Example: "Although he was tired."

• Correction: "Although he was tired, he finished his work."

Missing Subjects or Verbs: A sentence without a subject or verb cannot convey a full idea.

• Example: "Went to the store."

• Correction: "She went to the store."

Prepositional Phrases: These phrases provide additional information but cannot function as complete sentences.

• Example: "On the table."

• Correction: "The book is on the table."

Phrase Fragments: Sometimes a phrase looks like a sentence but is missing critical elements.

• Example: "After the show."

• Correction: "We went to dinner after the show."

Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments

Identifying sentence fragments in your writing requires careful review. Look for sentences that do not convey a full idea or are missing key components. Here are some strategies to help you spot and fix sentence fragments:

Check for Complete Thoughts: Ensure each sentence stands alone and makes sense.

• Fragment: "Because I was late."

• Correction: "I missed the meeting because I was late."

Look for Subjects and Verbs: Verify that each sentence has both a subject and a verb.

• Fragment: "During the game."

• Correction: "He got injured during the game."

Combine Fragments with Adjacent Sentences: Sometimes, fragments can be corrected by merging them with nearby sentences.

• Fragment: "Walking in the park. Enjoyed the weather."

• Correction: "We enjoyed the weather while walking in the park."

Rewrite into Complete Sentences: If a fragment cannot be combined, rewrite it as a complete sentence.

• Fragment: "Despite the cold weather."

• Correction: "Despite the cold weather, we decided to go for a hike."

Practice Exercises

Identify the fragments and correct them:

• "Because she was happy. Smiling all day."

• Correction: "Because she was happy, she was smiling all day."

Combine the fragments into complete sentences:

• "After the meeting. Went to lunch."

• Correction: "After the meeting, we went to lunch."

Tips to Avoid Sentence Fragments

To avoid sentence fragments, follow these tips:

Write in Complete Thoughts: Ensure each sentence expresses a complete idea.

• Example: "The cat slept on the mat."

Use Conjunctions to Connect Ideas: Connect related ideas using conjunctions like 'and', 'but', 'or', 'because'.

• Example: "She wanted to go out, but it was raining."

Proofreading Techniques: Carefully review your writing for incomplete sentences. Read your work out loud to catch fragments.

• Example: "John left early. To catch the train."

• Correction: "John left early to catch the train."

Avoid Starting Sentences with Certain Words: Words like "because," "although," and "when" often lead to fragments if not used properly.

• Fragment: "Although tired."

• Correction: "Although tired, she continued working."

Practice Regularly: The more you practice identifying and correcting fragments, the better you will become at avoiding them.

Practice Exercises

Rewrite the fragments into complete sentences:

• "Even though it was late. She decided to call."

• Correction: "Even though it was late, she decided to call."

Identify and fix the fragments:

• "The dog barking loudly. In the middle of the night."

• Correction: "The dog was barking loudly in the middle of the night."

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