Sentence Fragments What are they?

The Sentence Fragment:  A sentence fragment is part of a sentence set off by a capital letter and final punctuation.  It is an incomplete sentence.  Ex. The circus clowns under the big top.

The Complete Sentence:  A complete sentence or main clause contains a subject and a verb and is not a subordinating clause, a clause beginning with a word such as "because" or "who.”  Ex. The circus clowns work under the big top.  clowns = subject  work = verb

CRITERIA:  A sentence fragment :  lacks a verb  The colorfully adorned circus clown.  or lacks a subject  Tumbled across the entire length of the arena.  or is a subordinate clause (also called a dependent clause) not attached to a complete sentence  Into the lap of a ferocious, hungry lion.

Put together…  Placed together, these fragments form a complete sentence!  The colorfully adorned circus clown tumbled across the entire length of the arena and into the lap of a ferocious, hungry lion.

An Explanation of Fragments:  Why do we write sentence fragments?  We write sentence fragments because we often speak in sentence fragments!  Ex: No talking!

For example….  When we answer a question:  Example:  Q. "What are you doing?"  A. "Eating."  Q. "When are you going home?"  A. "At five o'clock."

And…  When we give a command  Example: Did you ever get caught running through the halls in school?  Your teacher yelled " No running! "  She or he spoke in a sentence fragment !

To find out if it is a Sentence Fragment…  1) Find the verb:  Look for the verb in your sentence.  If you do not have one, then your sentence is actually a sentence fragment.  Fragment: Students in purple boots and green mittens.  Ask yourself, "Where's the verb? Can I circle it?"  Revised: Students in purple boots and green mittens walk through a terrible storm.  The verb in the sentence is "walk."

Also…  2) Find the subject:  Once you've located the verb, look for the subject in your sentence.  If you do not have a subject, then your sentence is actually a sentence fragment. Fragment: Ran across the street and up a tall, newly blooming tree.  Ask yourself, "Who or what performs the action?"  Revised: The kitten ran across the street and up a tall, newly blooming tree.  The subject of this sentence is "kitten."  Remember : There is a type of sentence where "you" is understood to be the subject:  ( You ) Pick up the dirty laundry off the floor.  In all other cases, a subject is necessary for a sentence to be complete.

And finally…  3) Make sure the clause is not subordinate.  A subordinate clause is a clause (with a subject and a verb) introduced by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.subordinating conjunction relative pronoun  A subordinate clause is a sentence fragment.  Subordinate clauses should not be used as complete sentences.  Subordinate clauses should be joined with complete sentences.  Fragment: When the girl ran across the street  The subordinating conjunction ( when ) leads us to ask, "What happened when the girl ran across the street?"  Revised: When the girl ran across the street, she was nearly struck by a car.

Now you know all about Sentence Fragments:  Remember:  Look for the VERB. If no verb, it is a sentence fragment.  Look for the SUBJECT. If no subject, it is a sentence fragment.  Look for the SUBORDINATE CLAUSE. If it is one, it is a sentence fragment. Look for beginning words such as “because”, “after”, “since”, “when”, “if”.

Try it out…Is it missing a verb, subject or is a subordinate clause? Then it is a fragment!  Because the car was in the shop.  A story with deep thoughts and emotions.  The girl skipped home happily.  Eating chicken.

A complete sentence will always have…  1. a subject (the actor in the sentence)  2. a predicate (the verb or action)  3. a complete thought (it can stand alone and make sense—it’s independent).  Ex: Sally bought a new pair of shoes.

Know the difference!  …between a sentence fragment and a complete sentence.  A sentence fragment is essentially an incomplete sentence.

The End!