What is a Sentence Fragment?

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks a subject, a verb, or both, making it grammatically incorrect and unable to stand alone.

What is a Sentence Fragment?

A sentence fragment is a group of words that does not form a complete sentence. For example, "Running through the park." is a fragment because it lacks a subject.

In contrast, "He was running through the park." is a complete sentence. Fragments often occur due to missing elements such as subjects or verbs, or because they depend on another clause to make sense.

Examples of Sentence Fragments vs. Complete Sentences

  • Fragment: "Because she was late."

  • Complete Sentence: "She missed the bus because she was late."

  • Fragment: "Without a doubt."

  • Complete Sentence: "He is the best candidate for the job without a doubt."

Common Reasons Why Fragments Occur

  • Starting with a subordinating conjunction and not completing the thought

  • Missing subject or verb

  • Being part of a list but standing alone

Types of Sentence Fragments

Dependent Clause Fragments

A dependent clause fragment starts with a subordinating conjunction but lacks an independent clause.

For instance, "Although she was tired." To correct this, you can complete the sentence: "Although she was tired, she continued working."

Missing Subject Fragments

These fragments lack a subject. An example is, "Went to the store." Adding a subject corrects this: "She went to the store."

Missing Verb Fragments

Fragments missing a verb can be confusing. For example, "The dog in the yard." Adding a verb completes the sentence: "The dog is in the yard."

Added Detail Fragments

Fragments that add details but are not complete sentences. For example, "Such as swimming and running." Corrected: "She enjoys many sports, such as swimming and running."

Appositive Fragments

Appositives add extra information but can become fragments if not connected properly. Example: "A great teacher." Corrected: "Mr. Smith, a great teacher, inspired his students."

How to Identify Sentence Fragments

To spot fragments in your writing, look for incomplete thoughts. Common indicators include:

  • Starting with conjunctions like "because," "although," or "since."

  • Lacking a subject or verb.

  • Being part of a list but standing alone.

Tips and Strategies for Spotting Fragments

  • Read your sentences out loud.

  • Check for subjects and verbs in each sentence.

  • Look for dependent clauses that need an independent clause.

Common Indicators of Fragments

  • Starting with a subordinating conjunction

  • Lack of main verb or subject

  • Adding extra details without a main clause

Practice Examples with Explanations

Identify the fragment: "While he was cooking. He burned the toast." The fragment is "While he was cooking."

Corrected: "While he was cooking, he burned the toast."

Fixing Sentence Fragments

Methods to Revise and Complete Sentence Fragments

Combine fragments with complete sentences or add missing elements. For example, "After the rain stopped. We went outside." can be corrected to "After the rain stopped, we went outside."

Adding Missing Elements

Ensure each sentence has a subject and a verb. For instance, "Her favorite hobby." becomes "Her favorite hobby is painting."

Combining Fragments with Other Sentences

  • Fragment: "He is very talented. Especially in music."

  • Combined: "He is very talented, especially in music."

  • Fragment: "The meeting was postponed. Because of the weather."

  • Combined: "The meeting was postponed because of the weather."

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Identify and Correct the Fragments

Because he was late.

  • Corrected: "Because he was late, he missed the meeting."

In the morning.

  • Corrected: "In the morning, she reads the newspaper."

The beautiful garden.

  • Corrected: "The beautiful garden is full of flowers."

After the movie ended.

  • Corrected: "After the movie ended, we went out for dinner."

Such as reading and writing.

  • Corrected: "She has many hobbies, such as reading and writing."

Exercise 2: Combine the Sentences to Correct the Fragments

She loves dancing. But only in the rain.

  • Combined: "She loves dancing, but only in the rain."

When the sun sets. We gather by the fire.

  • Combined: "When the sun sets, we gather by the fire."

The cat slept. Under the warm blanket.

  • Combined: "The cat slept under the warm blanket."

He was tired. Because he had not slept well.

  • Combined: "He was tired because he had not slept well."

The conference was canceled. Due to unforeseen circumstances.

  • Combined: "The conference was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances."