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Sentence Fragments Handout Adapted from John Langan

INTRODUCTION Read Carefully to Orient Yourself

Criteria for a Correct Sentence: Every sentence must meet these criteria: 1. Subject (who are what are we talking about?) 2. Verb (what is the subject being or doing?) 3. Express a complete thought 4. No grammar mistakes A word that lacks a subject or a verb and that does not express a complete thought is a fragment. Listed below are a number of fragments and sentences. See if you can complete the statement that explains each fragment.
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People. Fragment People gossip. Sentence

Evaluation

1. 2. 3. 4.

Who are we talking about? People What do they do/be? gossip. Does this express a complete thought? Yes Are there any grammar mistakes? No. People gossip. Correct Sentence.

2. Drinking more than anyone else at the bar. Fragment (missing subject) Grandmother was drinking more than anyone else at the bar. Sentence 3. When Lola turned eighteen. Fragment (dependent word: when) When Lola turned eighteen, she got her own apartment. Sentence

WHAT ARE SENTENCE FRAGMENTS?

Every sentence must have a subject and a verb and must express a complete thought. A word group that lacks a subject or a verb and that does not express a complete thought is a fragment. The most common types of fragments are: 1. 2. 3. 4. Dependent-word fragments ing and to fragments Added-detail fragments Missing-subject fragments.

1. Dependent-word fragments Some word groups that begin with a dependent word are fragments. Here is a list of common dependent words: after although, though as because before even though how if, even if in order that since that, so that unless until what, whatever when, whenever where, wherever whether which, whichever while who, whoever whose

Whenever you start a sentence with one of these words, you must be careful that a fragment does not result. The word group beginning with the dependent word, after, in the example below is a fragment. After I learned the price of new cars. I decided to keep my old Buick. To correct the fragment, simply follow through and complete the thought: After I learned the price of new cars, I decided to keep my old Buick. Remember that dependent statements by themselves are fragments. They must be attached to a statement that makes sense standing alone. My daughter refused to stop smoking. Unless I quit also. Bill asked for a loan. Which he promised to pay back in two weeks. The underlined words are fragments. They must be attached to independent clauses. They may be joined to the sentences beside them to form complete and correct sentences.

Correcting a Dependent-Word Fragment In most cases you can correct a dependent-word fragment by attaching it to the sentence that comes after it or the sentence that comes before it. After I learned the price of new cars, I decided to keep my old Buick.
(The fragment is attached to the sentence after it)

My daughter refused to quit smoking unless I quit also.

(The fragment is attached to the sentence that came before it)

Bill asked for a loan which he promised to pay back in two weeks.
(The fragment has been attached to the sentence that comes before it.)

Another way of correcting a dependent-word fragment is simply to eliminate the dependent word by rewriting the sentence: I learned the price of new cars and decided to keep my old Buick. She wanted me to quit also. He promised to pay it back in two weeks. Note: Use a comma if a dependent-word comes at the beginning of a sentence. After I learned the price of new cars, I decided to keep my old Buick. However, do not use a comma if a dependent-word comes at the end of a sentence. My daughter refused to stop smoking unless I quit also. Note: Sometimes the dependent words who, that, which, or where appear not at the very start but near the start of a word group. A fragment often results: A place where several people have been mugged is not a complete thought. It may be corrected by attaching it to a complete thought: The town council decided to put more lights on South Street a place where several people have been mugged.

Activity 1 Turn each of the following dependent-word drops into a sentence by adding a complete thought. Put a comma after the dependent-word group if a dependent word starts the sentence. Examples: Fragment Sentence Fragment Sentence Although I arrived in class late. Although I arrived in class late, I still did well on the test. The little boy who plays with our daughter. The little boy who plays with our daughter just came to visit.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Because the weather is bad If I lend you twenty dollars The car that we bought Since I was tired Before the instructor entered the room

Activity 2 Underline the dependent-word fragment or fragments in each of the five items below. Then correct each fragment by attaching it to the sentence that comes before or the sentence that comes after it whichever sounds more natural. Put a comma after the dependent-word group if it starts the sentence. 1. Whenever our front and back doors are open. The air current causes the back door to slam shut. The noise makes everyone in the house jump. 2. Bill always turns on the radio in the morning to hear the news. He wants to be sure that World War III has not started before he gets on with his day. 3. Since the line at the Motor Vehicle Bureau crawls at a snails pace. Fred waited two hours there. When there was only one person in front of him. The office closed for the day. 4. My dog ran in joyous circles on the wide beach. Until she found a dead fish. Before I had a chance to drag her away. She began sniffing and nudging the smelly remains. 5. When the air conditioner broke down. The temperature was over ninety degrees. I then found an old fan. Which turned out to be broken also.

-ING and TO Fragments When an ing word appears at or near the start of a word group, a fragment may result. Such fragments often lack a subject and part of the verb. Underline the word groups in the examples below that contain ing words. Each is a fragment.
Example 1

I spent almost two hours on the phone yesterday. Trying to find a garage to repair my car. Eventually I had to have it towed to a garage in another town.
Example 2

Maggie was at first very happy with the blue sports car she had bought for only five hundred dollars. Not realizing until a week later that the car averaged seven miles per gallon of gas.
Example 3

He looked forward to the study period at school. It being the only time he could sit unbothered and dream about his future. He imagined himself as a lawyer with lots of money and women to spend it on. People sometimes write ing fragments because they think the subject in one sentence will work for the next group as well. Thus, in the first example, the writer thinks that the subject I in the opening sentence will also serve as the subject for Trying to find a garage to repair my car. But the subject must actually be in the sentence. Correcting ing Fragments 1. Attach the -ing fragment to the sentence that comes before it or the sentence that comes after it, whichever makes sense. Example 1 could read: I spent two hours on the phone yesterday, trying to find a garage to repair my car. 2. Add a subject and change the -ing verb part to the correct form of the verb. Example 2 could read: She realized only a week later that the car averaged seven miles per gallon of gas. 3. Change being to the correct form of the verb be (am, are, is, was, were). Example 3 could read: It was the only time he could sit unbothered and dream about his future. Correcting to Fragments When to appears at or near the start of a word group, a fragment sometimes results: I plan on working overtime. To get his job finished. Otherwise, my boss may get angry at me. The second word group here is a fragment and can be corrected by adding it to the preceding sentence:

I plan on working overtime to get this job finished. Activity 1 Underline the -ing fragment in each of the three items that follow. Then make it a sentence by rewriting it, using the method described in parenthesis. Example: A thunderstorm was brewing. A sudden breeze shot through the windows. Driving the stuffiness out of the room.
(Add the fragment to the preceding sentence.)

A sudden breeze shot through the windows, driving the stuffiness out of the room. (In the example, a comma is used to set off driving the stuffiness out of the room, which is extra material placed at the end of the sentence.) 1. Sweating under his heavy load. Brian staggered up the stairs to his apartment. He felt as though his legs were crumbling beneath him. 2. He works ten hours a day. Then going to class for three hours. It is no wonder he writes sentence fragments.

3. Charlotte loved the movie Gone with the Wind, but Clyde hated it. His chief objection being that it lasted four hours.

Activity 2 Underline the ing and to fragments in each of the five items that follow. Then rewrite each, correcting the fragments by using one of the three methods of correction described. (Note: there may be more than one fragment in each grouping). 1. A mysterious package arrived on my porch yesterday. Bearing no return address. I half expected to find a bomb inside. 2. Jack bundled up and went outside on the bitterly cold day. To saw wood for his fireplace. He returned half frozen with only two logs. 3. Sighing with resignation. Jill switched on her television set. She knew that the picture would be snowy and crackling with static. Her house being in a weak reception area. 4. Jabbing the ice with a screwdriver. Bill attempted to speed up the defrosting process in his freezer. However, he used too much force. The result being a freezer compartment riddled with holes.

Added-Detail Fragments Added-detail fragments lack a subject and a verb. They often begin with one of the following words: also, especially, except, for example, including, such as

See if you can locate and underline the one added-detail fragment in each of the examples that follow: Example 1 I love to cook and eat Italian food. Especially spaghetti and lasagna. I make everything from scratch. Example 2 The class often starts late. For example, yesterday at quarter after nine instead of at nine sharp. Today the class started at five after nine. Example 3 He failed a number of courses before he earned his degree. Among them, English 1, Economics, and General Biology. People often write added-detail fragments for much the same reason they write ing fragments. They think the subject and verb in one sentence will serve for the next word group as well. But the subject and verb must be in each word group. Correcting Added-Detail Fragments 1. Attach the fragment to the complete thought that precedes it. Example 1 could read: I love to cook and eat Italian food, especially spaghetti and lasagna. 2. Add a subject and a verb to the fragment to make it a complete sentence. Example 2 could read: The class often starts late. For example, yesterday it began at quarter after nine instead of at nine sharp. 3. Change words as necessary to make the fragment part of the preceding sentence. Example 3 could read: Among the courses he failed before he earned his degree were English I, Economics, and General Biology.

Activity 1 Underline the fragment in each of the three items below. Then make it a sentence by rewriting it, using the method described in parentheses. Example I am always short of pocket money. Especially for everyday items like magazines and sodas. Luckily my friends often have change. (Add the fragment to the preceding sentence.) I am always short of pocket money, especially for everyday items like magazines and sodas.

1. Nina is trying hard for a promotion. For example, through night classes and a Dale Carnegie course. She is also working overtime for no pay. 2. I could feel Bills anger building. Like a land mine ready to explode. I was silent because I didnt want to be the one to set it off.

3. We went on vacation without several essential items. Among other things, our sneakers and sweat jackets.

Activity 2 Underline the added-detail fragment in each of the five items below. Then rewrite that part of the item needed to correct the fragment. Use one of the three methods of correction described above. 1. Its always hard for me to get up for work. Especially Mondays after a holiday weekend. However, I always wake up early on free days. 2. Tony has enormous endurance. For example, the ability to run five miles in the morning and then play basketball all afternoon. 3. A counselor gives you a chance to talk about your problems. Whether with your family or the boss at work. You learn how to cope better with life. 4. Fred and Martha do most of their shopping through mail-order catalogs. Especially the Sears and J.C. Penney catalogs. 5. One of my greatest joys in life is eating desserts. Such as cherry cheesecake and vanilla cream puffs. Almond fudge cake makes me want to dance.

Missing-Subject Fragments In each example below, underline the word group in which the subject is missing. Example 1 The truck skidded on the rain-slick highway. But missed a telephone pole on the side of the road. Example 2 Michelle tried each of the appetizers on the table. And then found that, when the dinner arrived, her appetite had gone. People write missing-subject fragments because they think the subject in one sentence will apply to the next word group as well. But the subject, as well as the verb, must be in each word group to make it a sentence. Correcting Missing-Subject Fragments 1. Attach the fragment to the preceding sentence. Example 1 could read: The truck skidded on the rain-slick highway but missed a telephone pole on the side of the road. 2. Add a subject (which can often be a pronoun standing for the subject in the preceding sentence). Example 2 could read: She then found that, when the dinner arrived, her appetite had gone. Activity Underline the missing-subject fragment in each of the following three items. Then rewrite that part of the item needed to correct the fragment. Use one of the two methods of correction described above. 1. I tried on an old suit hanging in our basement closet. And discovered, to my surprise, that it was too tight to button. 2. When Mary had a sore throat, friends told her to gargle with salt water. Or suck on an ice cube. The worst advice she got was to avoid swallowing.

3. One of my grade-school teachers embarrassed us with her sarcasm. Also, seated us in rows from the brightest student to the dumbest. I can imagine the pain the student in the last seat much have felt.

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Review How to Check for Sentence Fragments: EXCELLENT TIPS: 1. Read your paper aloud from the last sentence to the first. You will be better able to see and hear whether each word group you read is a complete thought. 2. Ask yourself of any word group you think is a fragment: Does it contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought? 3. More specifically, be on the lookout for the most common fragments: Dependent-word fragments (starting with words like after, because, since, when, and before). -Ing and to fragments (-ing or to at or near the start of a word group). Added-detail fragments (starting with words like for example, such as, also, and especially). Missing-subject fragments (a verb is present but not the subject).

Review Test 1 Turn each of the following word groups into a complete sentence. Example With sweaty palms With sweaty palms, I walked into the job interview.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

When the alarm sounded In order to save money Was late for the game To pass the course Peter, who is very impatient, During the holiday season The store where I worked Before the movie started Down in the basement Feeling very confident

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Review Test 2 Underline the two fragments in each of the five items below. Then, rewrite the sentence making the corrections needed to fix the fragments. 1. Gathering speed with enormous force. The plane was suddenly in the air. Then it began to climb sharply. And several minutes later leveled off. 2. Before my neighbours went on vacation. They asked me to watch their house. I agreed to check the premises once a day. Also, to take in their mail. 3. Running untouched into the end zone. The halfback raised his arms in triumph. Then he slammed the football to the ground. And did a little victory dance. 4. Its hard to keep up with bills. Such as telephone, gas, and electricity. After you finally mail the cheques. New ones seem to arrive a day or two later. 5. While a woman ordered twenty pounds of cold cuts. Customers at the deli counter waited impatiently. The woman explained that she was in charge of a school picnic. And apologized for taking up so much time. ANSWER KEY is available on site