Sentence Fragments

 

A sentence fragment is a part of a sentence that is punctuated as if it were a whole sentence. We use and hear fragments in conversation all the time:

"Where is the bookstore?"

"To the left."

We can also find fragments in many kinds of writing; sometimes they’re used to imitate conversation or thought. (We rarely think in complete sentences.) Other times they are used to help readers feel the pace/action of people or motion in a piece of writing. Notice how Amy Tan uses fragments (underlined) in this passage from "Two Kinds":

Every time my mother got halfway up from the sofa to adjust the [television] set, the sound would go back on and Ed would be talking. . . .She sat down. Silence. Up and down, back and forth, quiet and loud. It was like a stiff embraceless dance between her and the TV set.

 

Even though as a reader and listener you will frequently encounter sentence fragments that are acceptable, as a student writer you should try to avoid unintentional sentence fragments. For most writing done for class, readers expect to see only complete sentences because they sound more formal than fragments.

 

Most unintentional sentence fragments occur when a complex sentence is punctuated as if it were two sentences. Often a dependent clause will be punctuated on its own:

I had to buy a new car. Because my old one fell apart.

 

The easiest way to correct this kind of fragment is to connect it to a nearby independent clause:

I had to buy a new car because my old one fell apart.

 

Other times, we have to correct a fragment by adding or deleting words to make it an independent clause. Remember our first example?

"Where is the bookstore?"

"It is to the left."

  

Quick Challenge:

 Find the sentence fragment below. Then decide how you would change the punctuation to correct it.

He has a carefree life. Each evening, playing cards. He loses a lot of money.

Now try the exercise!

 

Fragment Exercise

The following passages are from papers written by students at CLC. After you print out a copy, start by underlining the fragments. Then write in your corrections.

1. When I tried the candy. It tasted like licorice.

 

2. If the government found out somebody was rich and had jewelry. The militia would take it from them.

 

3. On the other hand, people in the U.S. smile when your eyes meet with someone else’s on the street. It’s comfortable for me. Because there would be no smile if you had the same situation in Japan.

 

4. A friend of mine who has a warm personality. She is not only a good teacher but also a volunteer for a charity organization.

 

5. Basically, Asian-Americans’ identification is close to Americans’; also it is not necessary to be Asians for Asian-Americans. Because they were born, raised and educated in the United States; their lives seem to be here. They are Americans.

 

  L. Frega
College of Lake County Writing Center