1. Fragments are not Your Friends!
Why bad Fragments happen to good people…(just ask your cell phone provider).

2. Definition of Fragment
Unlike a sentence, which contains a subject & verb that expresses a complete thought, a fragment DOES NOT contain a complete thought:
After the semester is over in May.
The semester is over in May.

3. There are FOUR causes of Fragments!
See WR G5a-d, pp

4. 1. Phrases
Definition: a group of words that lacks a subject, verb or both.
by the table
 near the corner
before the concert after my last class
(Prepostional phrases (WR: B3-a) begin with a preposition and end with a noun.)

5. Other types of Phrases cause Fragments as well (see WR: B3-B).
Banning smoking at Bakersfield College. (Gerund)
To spend another semester in English 50. (Infinitive)
Written in less than an hour. (Participial)

6. 2. Dependent Clauses
Definition: a group of words that contains a subject & verb but CANNOT stand alone.
After I drove to school.
Since my classes start in the morning.
Because I was working all weekend.
(Dep. Clauses usually have a subordinating conjunction in front of the S/V.
(WR: G5-a)

7. 3. A List
Definition: A list contains information but has no subject, verb, or complete thought.
Coffee, milk, bread, Cheetos, & Heineken.
 Working two jobs, taking fifteen units, volunteering, and coaching a sport.

8. 4. FANBOYS without S/V 1) And driving two hours to work
Definition: Using a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) at the beginning of a sentence WITHOUT a subject & verb after it.
1) And driving two hours to work
everyday as well.
2) But is all day on Saturday!
True or False: You never can start a sentence with And or But!!!

9. FALSE! Yes, Bart was coaching while going to
RULE: You can always start a sentence with one of
the FANBOYS as long as a subject and verb follows
it:
Yes, Bart was coaching while going to
school! And he was driving two hours to
work every day as well.
But the class is all day on a Saturday!

10. Fixing Fragments 1. Add a subject, verb or both:
By the door = I walked by the door.
2. Make Frag. a sentence (by deleting the word causing an incomplete thought).
Although I enjoyed bowling last week.
I enjoyed bowling last week.
3. Connect Frag to rest of sentence:
She took advanced calculus. Yet had no fear.
She took advanced calculus yet had no fear.