What are Sentence Fragments?
A sentence fragment is a word or group of words that cannot function as a complete sentence. Sentence fragments are common in informal writing and everyday speech. However, academic writing must communicate ideas as professionally as possible. For this reason, it is important to communicate in complete sentences.
As a reminder, a complete sentence requires an independent clause that contains a complete subject and a complete predicate.
Sentence fragments generally occur for the following reasons:
- The sentence fragment is missing a complete subject.
- The sentence fragment is missing a complete predicate.
- The sentence fragment is missing both a complete subject and a complete predicate.
- The sentence fragment is a dependent clause.
Sentence fragments without complete subjects
A sentence fragment can occur due to the lack of a complete subject.
- Incorrect: I caught a cold right before my honeymoon. Which totally sucked.
In the above example, Which totally sucked is a sentence fragment. It contains a complete predicate (totally sucked) but no subject.
How to correct this type of fragment
Incorporate the fragment into a nearby sentence.
- Incorrect: I caught a cold right before my honeymoon. Which totally sucked.
- Correct: I caught a cold right before my honeymoon, which totally sucked.
Rephrase the fragment so it has a subject.
- Incorrect: I caught a cold right before my honeymoon. Which totally sucked.
- Correct: I caught a cold right before my honeymoon. The timing totally sucked.
Sentence fragments without complete predicates
A sentence fragment can occur due to the lack of a complete predicate.
- Incorrect: Veronica had a great time at the beach. The big blue open water.
In the above example, The big blue open water is a sentence fragment. This sentence fragment can function as a complete subject, but it lacks a complete predicate.
How to correct this type of fragment
Add a predicate to the fragment.
- Incorrect: Veronica had a great time at the beach. The big blue open water.
- Correct: Veronica had a great time at the beach. The big blue open water calmed her soul.
Add a subject and predicate to the fragment.
- Incorrect: Veronica had a great time at the beach. The big blue open water.
- Correct: Veronica had a great time at the beach. She loved the big blue open water.
Incorporate the fragment into a nearby sentence.
- Incorrect: Veronica had a great time at the beach. The big blue open water.
- Correct: Veronica had a great time at the beach, relishing the big blue open water.
Sentence fragments with neither complete subjects nor complete predicates
A sentence fragment can occur when a group of words functions as neither a complete subject nor a complete predicate.
- Incorrect: Jamie’s mother said she would make sure he got into college. No matter the cost.
In the above example, No matter the cost is a sentence fragment. It is neither a complete subject nor a complete predicate.
How to correct this type of fragment
Incorporate the fragment into a nearby sentence.
- Incorrect: Jamie’s mother said she would make sure he got into college. No matter the cost.
- Correct: Jamie’s mother said she would make sure he got into college, no matter the cost.
- Correct: No matter the cost, Jamie’s mother said she would make sure he got into college.
Sentence fragments that are dependent clauses
A sentence fragment can occur when a dependent clause is treated as if it were a complete sentence.
- Incorrect: Helga tended the sheep. While Gretchen milked the cows.
In the above example, While Gretchen milked the cows is a sentence fragment. It contains both a complete subject (Gretchen) and a complete predicate (milked the cows). However, the presence of the word while, a subordinating conjunction, turns the group of words into a dependent clause, so it cannot function as a complete sentence.
How to correct this type of fragment
Remove the subordinating conjunction.
- Incorrect: Helga tended the sheep. While Gretchen milked the cows.
- Correct: Helga tended the sheep. Gretchen milked the cows.
Incorporate the fragment into a nearby sentence.
- Incorrect: Helga tended the sheep. While Gretchen milked the cows.
- Correct: Helga tended the sheep while Gretchen milked the cows.
- Correct: While Gretchen milked the cows, Helga tended the sheep.
