1. AS HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND GIGI CHASED HIM DOWN THE INTERSTATE. Sentence Fragments

2. 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, or dependent clause, not attached to a complete sentence  Into the lap of a ferocious, hungry lion.

3. Why do we write sentence fragments?? We write sentence fragments because we often speak in sentence fragments! When we answer a question  Example:  Q. "What are you doing?"  A. "Eating."  Q. "When are you going home?"  A. "At five o'clock." When we give a command  Example:  Remember running through the halls in elementary school?  Your teacher yelled "No running!"  She or he spoke in a sentence fragment!

4. Use the following checklist! Find the verb. Find the subject. Make sure the sentence is not a subordinate clause.

5. These words are your markers for fragments... Because Chase caught the eye of the beautiful brunette in algebra. Because = subordinate conjunction; Chase = subject; caught = verb. What happened? Was he able to cheat on the test? Did he quickly ask her for a date? We don't know because the thought is incomplete. Until Rachel notices the toilet paper stuck to her shoe. Until = subordinate conjunction; Rachel = subject; notices = verb. What will happen? Will she embarrass her date? Will people at the restaurant stare? We don't know because this is another incomplete thought. Even though Fred stuck straws up his nose.

6. You can correct a fragment in two ways: 1) adding the necessary main clause or 2) connecting the fragment to a main clause already in the passage. Whether you add or connect, you must use the right punctuation. Some fragments, for example, will require a comma if you connect them at the beginning of a main clause. If you choose to connect them at the end, however, these same fragments require no punctuation at all. Other fragments will require a comma whether you connect them at beginning or the end. To make an intelligent comma decision, you first have to identify the type of fragment that you have.

7. Example? Fragment: Purdue offers many majors in engineering. Such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering. Possible Revision: Purdue offers many majors in engineering, such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering..

8. Fragment: Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game. Leaving her team at a time when we needed her. Possible Revision: Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game, leaving her team at a time when we needed her