Download Fragment Tip 1

F R A G M E N T
T I P
1
Recognize a fragment when you see one.
A fragment is an incomplete sentence that will begin with a capital letter and conclude with an end
mark—usually a period [.] but sometimes a question mark [?] or an exclamation point [!]. The
fragment will not, however, contain a main clause, the one grammatical unit essential to every
sentence. A main clause looks like this:
Subject + Verb = Complete Thought .
When you write fragments, you indicate that you cannot control a sentence, the most basic building
block of writing. As a result, your reader will not look favorably upon your composition.
Every sentence must pass three tests before you can call it complete.
Test 1 – Find the verb.
Every sentence must have a verb. Verbs express action or link information to the subject.
Look at the complete sentences that follow:
The happy calculus students shouted and laughed in the cafeteria.
Dr. Ribley had curved the grades on their midterm exam.
Other students were upset at the noise.
When you are proofreading a sentence, you will sometimes find a verbal instead of a verb. A
verbal is unable to change form; you cannot, for example, add s or ed to the end of one.
Read the examples below:
The happy calculus students shouting and laughing in the cafeteria.
Dr Ribley having curved the grades on their midterm exam.
Other students being upset at all of the noise.
These last three examples are fragments because they fail Test 1.
Test 2 – Find the subject.
If you find an action verb in the sentence, the subject is whoever or whatever is doing that
action. If, on the other hand, you find a linking verb, such as am, is, are, was, or were, the
subject is usually whoever or whatever comes before the verb. Here are two sample
sentences:
The refrigerator hummed in the kitchen. [What was humming? The fridge!]
The coffee maker was annoyed. [What was annoyed? The coffee maker!]
Sometimes writers assume that we know who or what the subject is, so they leave it out.
Read the example that follows:
The coffee maker was annoyed. And the next morning hissed more than usual.
What hissed? The coffee maker did. Unfortunately, coffee maker is not part of the word
group beginning with And. As a result, this word group is a fragment because it fails Test 2.
Test 3 – Find the complete thought.
Between every capital letter and end mark, you must find a complete thought. A subordinate
clause, for example, has both a subject and a verb. However, the clause also begins with a
subordinate conjunction such as because, if, or since; or a relative pronoun such as who,
which, or that; or a relative adverb such as when, where, or why. These opening words
keep the subject and verb from expressing a complete thought. Look at the example below:
When Kara caught sight of her ex-boyfriend Rob.
When Kara saw Rob, what happened? We don't know because the thought is incomplete.
This word group is thus a fragment because it fails Test 3.
Quick Test
Directions: Put an X on the line if the word group is a fragment. Write OK on the line if the word
group passes the three tests for a complete sentence.
_____ 1.
When Sammy discovers the empty carton of vanilla ice cream, he will explode with
anger.
_____ 2.
Jeanne, engrossed with another trashy romance novel, did not realize the meatloaf was
still in the freezer.
_____ 3.
Alex needs to bring home some roses if he wants Mimi to forgive him for flirting with
Helen.
_____ 4.
Belching black exhaust that suffocated the drivers who followed.
_____ 5.
The can of whipped cream that Diane used to squirt into the mouth of Santana, her
beagle.
©1997 - 2014 by Robin L. Simmons
All Rights Reserved.
F R A G M E N T
T I P
2
Recognize the type of fragment you have found.
Subordinate Clause Fragment
A subordinate clause fragment follows this pattern:
Subordinate Conjunction
+ Subject + Verb ≠ Complete Thought .
These words will begin a subordinate clause fragment:
after
although
as
because
before
even if
even though
if
in order that
once
provided that
since
so [that implied]
so that
than
that
though
unless
until
when
whenever
where whereas
wherever
whether
which
whichever
while
who
whoever
whom
whomever
whose
Examples: After the football flew over the fence. Since Harold has not done laundry. Which gave
Gabriella indigestion.
Participle Phrase Fragment
A participle phrase fragment follows this pattern:
Participle
+ Word(s), Phrase(s), and/or Clause(s) ≠ Complete Thought .
Present participles end in ing: splashing, sneezing, spying, slurping, etc.
Regular past participles end in ed: splashed, sneezed, spied, slurped, etc.
Irregular past participles do not have a consistent ending: sung, swum, shrunk, slept, etc.
Examples: Agonizing over an ice cream flavor. Tickled silly with an ostrich plume. Found under the
backseat of his truck.
Infinitive Phrase Fragment
All infinitives are to + verb. An infinitive phrase fragment follows this pattern:
Infinitive
+ Word(s), Phrase(s), and/or Clause(s) ≠ Complete Thought .
Examples: To sleep without anxiety. To dance until he was out of breath. To slither out of its cage and
across the bedroom floor.
Afterthought Fragment
An afterthought fragment follows this pattern:
Afterthought Transition
+ Details ≠ Complete Thought .
The transitions below often begin a fragment of this type:
especially
except
excluding
for example
for instance
including
like
such as
Examples: For example, coffee stained shirts and scuffed shoes. Such as the old man who yelled at
dog walkers and skateboarders. Like this brand-new twenty-dollar bill that I found.
Lonely Verb Fragment
A lonely verb fragment follows this pattern:
Verb
+ Word(s), Phrase(s), and/or Clause(s) ≠ Complete Thought .
A lonely verb fragment will often begin with a coordinating conjunction: and, but, for, or, nor, so, or yet.
Examples: And burped with satisfaction. But turned down the job. Or will accept the bad grade.
Appositive Fragment
An appositive fragment follows this pattern:
Noun
+ Word(s), Phrase(s), and/or Clause(s) ≠ Complete Thought .
Examples: The student slurping the hot soup. A young woman whose hair reaches her waist. The
brother with a reputation for trouble.
©1997 - 2014 by Robin L. Simmons
All Rights Reserved.