SJ20 - Sentence Fragments Lesson and Practice

Sentence Fragments

This rule advises students to avoid writing fragments, which are generally long phrases or dependent clauses masquerading as complete sentences. 

A fragment is a group of words acting as a unit that falls short of true sentencehood (a complete sentence) because it is missing at least one of three critical components: a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. 

​What is a fragment?

Multiple Select

What are the critical components potentially missing from a fragment?

• A subject

• A verb

• Punctuation

• A complete thought

For the most part, when a clause (a group of words that contains a subject and a verb) remains a fragment, or dependent clause, it is normally because the clause starts with a word (a subordinate conjunction) that makes the clause dependent (not a complete thought). These subordinate conjunctions look a lot like adverbs, but they are really conjunctions.
 

Because Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

Until Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

Whenever Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

Even though Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

Although Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

When Beth only eats pizza without olives. (Fragment)

We often fail to recognize our sentence fragments because our incomplete thoughts can easily masquerade as sentences. Yet, for a sentence to be truly complete, it must contain an independent clause, which tells the whole story even when isolated from its context. 

Look at how the above fragments really need an additional independent clause to offer a complete thought. 

Because Beth only eats pizza without olives, Kathy laughed at her. (Complete sentence)
Until Beth eats pizza without olives, she will not be accepted into a school. (Complete sentence)
Whenever Beth eats pizza without olives, she gets really happy. (Complete sentence)
Even though Beth only eats pizza without olives, Ed still ordered one. (Complete sentence) 

Some sentence fragments do not contain subject and verbs; instead, they contain specific words that appear to be verbs but are not verbs. 

Beth eating pizza without olives. (Fragment) 

The monkey climbing all over the house. (Fragment) 

The dust left all over the chalkboard. (Fragment) 

The alphabet scribbled inside her notebook. (Fragment) 

Travis, trying to teach his class. (Fragment) 

Here, the words eating, climbing, left, scribbled, and trying really do look like verbs, but they are not verbs. They are best understood, here, to be participles. A participle is an adjective that is derived, or made, from a verb. Participles are either present participles or past participles—for example, writing (present tense) or written (past tense). 

​Do you need more review? Take a break and watch these videos...

Look at how I can make the above fragments into complete sentences by adding real verbs

Beth eating pizza without olives. (Fragment) 
Beth eating pizza without olives is a rare thing to see. (Complete sentence) 

The monkey climbing all over the house. (Fragment)

The monkey climbing all over the house broke his foot. (Complete sentence) 
The dust left all over the chalkboard. (Fragment) 

The dust left all over the chalkboard ruined my day. (Complete sentence) 
The alphabet scribbled inside her notebook. (Fragment)

The alphabet scribbled inside her notebook was indecipherable. (Complete sentence)

Travis, trying to teach his class. (Fragment)
Travis, trying to teach his class, made many mistakes. (Complete sentence) 

 

 

 

Or I can make these fragments into complete sentences another way—I can insert a helping verb right before the participle.

Beth eating pizza without olives. (Fragment) 
Beth was eating pizza without olives. (Complete sentence) 

The monkey climbing all over the house. (Fragment)

The monkey is climbing all over the house. (Complete sentence)  
The dust left all over the chalkboard. (Fragment) 

The dust was left all over the chalkboard. (Complete sentence) 
The alphabet scribbled inside her notebook. (Fragment)

The alphabet is scribbled inside her notebook. (Complete sentence) 

Travis, trying to teach his class. (Fragment)
Travis was trying to teach his class. (Complete sentence)

 

 

 

Watch out for a particular kind of fragment or incomplete sentence that only contains a noun + a dependent adjective clause (fragment).

The violin that Robert broke. (Fragment) 

The book that no one read. (Fragment) 

The school that you attend. (Fragment)

Here, the words violin, book, and school are only modified by a dependent clause (fragment). But I can add verbs to these fragments to make them independent clauses and offer complete thoughts.

The violin that Robert broke was expensive. (Complete sentence) 

The book that no one read was assigned last year. (Complete sentence) 

The school that you attend is the best school in the world. (Complete sentence)

Other kinds of fragments aren’t clauses at all, meaning that they do not contain subjects and verbs, but they might feel like complete thoughts.

Because of the rain. (Fragment) 

Looking forward to seeing you. (Fragment) 

Totally into this show. (Fragment)

Here, I can make these words part of an independent clause by adding specific kinds of words to them.

Because of the rain, I cannot go outside. (Complete sentence) 

I am looking forward to seeing you. (Complete sentence) 

He is totally into this show. (Complete sentence)

Assessment time...
READ CAREFULLY

Multiple Choice

Is there a sentence fragment?

The red wolf of the southeastern United States became extinct in the wild in 1980. After scientists created a breeding program with a few red wolves in captivity.

• Yes, there is a sentence fragment

• No, there is not a sentence fragment

Multiple Choice

Is there a sentence fragment?

When it comes to seafood, Americans aren't always eating what they think they are. According to an FDA report based on DNA analysis of fish that are frequently misidentified.

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Is this a sentence fragment?

Using instruments called geophones, scientists measuring seismic waves caused by traffic to learn how urban life affects the earth.

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Is this a sentence fragment?

During the construction of Mount Rushmore, approximately eight hundred million pounds of rock from the mountain to create the monument.

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Is there a sentence fragment?

When scientists sequenced the DNA of domestic cats, they made a startling discovery. A remarkable similarity between the genomes of house cats and those of their feline relatives in the wild.

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Is this a sentence fragment?

Undoubtedly one of the most popular words in the English language, OK was first used in print in 1839.

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

Is this a sentence fragment?

A program called Container offering twelve artists a month-long residency devoted to their painting, sculpture, or other visual art onboard a cargo ship.

• Yes

• No