Sentence Fragments
[ Up ] [ Comma Splices ] [ Faulty Comparison ] [ Faulty Coordination ] [ Faulty Parallelism ] [ Faulty Predication ] [ Fused Sentences ] [ Mixed Construction ] [ The Passive Voice ] [ Run-on Sentences ] [ Sentence Fragments ]

A sentence fragment is a word group set off as a real sentence by an initial capital letter and a final period; however, it does not qualify as a real sentence, since it lacks a subject, or a verb, or both. To be a grammatically correct sentence, a group of words must consist of at least one independent clause, which must possess a subject and a verb.

• Examples of This Trouble
• How to Fix the Problem
• How to Avoid the Problem
• Causes of the Problem

Examples of This Trouble

Wrong: The tree with the bird house.
(There is no verb.)
Corrected: The tree has a bird house.

Wrong: Swayed in the wind.
(There is no subject.)
Corrected: The tree swayed in the wind.

Wrong: During the furious thunderstorm.
(There is no verb or subject.)
Corrected: The tree whipped back and forth during the furious thunderstorm.

Wrong: Whipping back and forth in the storm.
(This a phrase.)
Corrected: Whipping back and forth in the storm, the tree looked ready to snap.

Wrong: Because the tree swayed in the wind.
(This is dependent clause.)
Corrected: Because the tree swayed violently in the wind, the bird house was eventually thrown to the ground.

How to Fix the Problem

Either attach the fragment to a nearby sentence or turn the fragment into a complete sentence.

How to Avoid the Problem

Use the following three step test:

1. Is there a subject?
2. Is there a verb?
3. Is the word group merely a subordinate clause or a phrase?

Causes of the Problem

Fragments may occur when writing is confused with speech. If your writing reproduces your speech, you may make fragments like the following:

Just one more point.
Not a smart move.
Feeling fine.

Some words look like verbs but are not. When these words are used as verbs, they result in fragments. A present participle is a verb form ending in -ing. It cannot be a substitute for a verb.

Wrong: The Snowbirds flying through the clouds.
Corrected: The Snowbirds flew through the clouds

An infinitive is always made up of the word "to" plus the present tense of a verb. It cannot be a substitute for a verb.

Wrong: To keep in good shape.
Corrected: I try to keep in good shape.

Without a knowledge of basic sentence structure, a person may confuse a dependent clause for a complete sentence. Indeed, most sentence fragments are dependent clauses punctuated as sentences. To remedy the problem, all you need to do is join the dependent clause either to the sentence that comes before it or the one that comes after it.

Wrong: I would buy a recreation vehicle with an indoor pool. If I won a million dollars.
Corrected: I would buy a recreation vehicle with an indoor pool, if I won a million dollars.

Wrong: Whenever we go to the circus. The clowns give my best friend quite a fright. 
Corrected: Whenever we go to the circus, the clowns give my best friend quite a fright.