English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003
Sentence Errors: Fragments
Chapter 8 Writing Correct and Complete Sentences
Part 3 Sentence Sense
As its name suggests, a sentence fragment is a group of words that do not express a complete thought. Most times, a fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or both. Other times, a fragment may have a subject and a verb but still not express a complete thought. Fragments can be phrases as well as clauses.
Quick Tip
Sentence fragments are common and acceptable in speech, but not in writing— unless you are recreating dialogue in a short story or novel.
There are three main ways that fragments occur.
1. Fragments occur when a dependent clause masquerades as a sentence. Because more and more teenagers are staying up far too late.
Since they do not compensate for the sleep they miss.
2. Fragments also happen when a phrase is cut off from the sentence it describes. Used to remove a wide variety of stains on carpets and upholstery.
Trying to prevent the new cotton shirt from shrinking in the dryer.
3. You can also create a fragment if you use the wrong form of a verb.
The frog gone to the pond by the reservoir.
Saffron being a very costly and pungent spice.
Quick Tip
Don’t be misled by a capital letter at the beginning of a word group. Starting a group of words with a capital letter doesn’t make the word group a sentence. It just makes it a fragment that starts with a capital letter.
You can correct a fragment three ways:
1. Add the missing part to the sentence.
Fragment: Because more and more teenagers are staying up far too late.
Complete: Because more and more teenagers are staying up far too late, they are sleep deprived.
Fragment: Since they do not compensate for the sleep they miss.
Complete: Since they do not compensate for the sleep they miss, teenagers often get cranky in the afternoon.
Fragment: Used to remove a wide variety of stains on carpets and upholstery.
Complete: This product is used to remove a wide variety of stains on carpets and upholstery.
Fragment: Trying to prevent the new cotton shirt from shrinking in the dryer.
Complete: Jean was trying to prevent the new cotton shirt from shrinking in the dryer.
2. Correct the misused verb.
Fragment: The frog gone to the pond by the reservoir.
Complete: The frog went to the pond by the reservoir.
Fragment: Saffron being a very costly and pungent spice.
Complete: Saffron is a very costly and pungent spice.
3. Omit the subordinating conjunction or connect it to another sentence.
Fragment: Because more and more teenagers are staying up far too late.
Complete: More and more teenagers are staying up far too late.
Fragment: Since they do not compensate for the sleep they miss.
Complete: They do not compensate for the sleep they miss.
