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Sentence Fragments

Sentence Fragments PDF
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A fragment is an incomplete sentence. It cannot stand alone because it is not an independent clause. It either lacks a subject, a complete verb (or both), or it might be a complete sentence but because it begins with a subordinating word (such as “when” or “because”) it does not express a complete thought. It is a dependent clause—dependent on something else to complete its meaning. Let’s look at some examples.

  • I went to the store yesterday.  

The subject is “I” and the verb is “went,” and the sentence expresses a complete and independent thought. Look at what happens when we add a subordinating word:

  • When I went to the store yesterday.

We need something else to complete the thought – we don’t know what happened when we went to the store yesterday. Now we have a fragment. To fix this kind of fragment, we must add it to another complete sentence.

  • When I went to the store yesterday, I bought some milk.

Another type of fragment occurs with “after thoughts” (usually a dependent clause or a phrase that adds detail) that need to be joined to the previous sentence to complete its meaning. For example:

  • We are really going to have to hurry. Because we overslept and missed the bus.  

The underlined words finish the thought of the first sentence, so they need to be joined to the first sentence.

  • We are really going to have to hurry because we overslept and missed the bus.

Notice here that a dependent clause added at the end of a sentence is NOT preceded by a comma.

In addition, some fragments are caused by verbal and prepositional phrases:

  • Running down the street.

This verbal phrase is a fragment because it lacks a subject and a complete verb. It can be fixed two ways. One would be to add the subject and the missing portion of the complete verb:

  • A shaggy dog was running down the street. 

Alternatively, this phrase can be added to an independent clause as an introductory phrase:

  • Running down the street, two little girls chased their shaggy dog.

Also, in addition to the above, there a few commonly used phrases that can very easily be fragments if not joined to an independent clause. When proofreading your work, look for the following “red flag” words:

  • “Because” – We were late to class this morning. Because we overslept and missed the bus.
  • “Especially” – I hate going shopping at the mall. Especially during the holiday season.
  • “Such as” – Freshmen tend to have a lot of problems adjusting to college life. Such as managing their time, maintaining a budget, and balancing work with play.
  • “Which is” – My roommate has more clothes than anyone I have ever met. Which is why there is no room in the closet for any of my clothes.

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