1. What is a sentence? What is a sentence fragment?
The Sentence: 1.1
What is a sentence?
What is a sentence fragment?

2. What is a sentence?
A sentence is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.
A sentence expresses a complete thought.
A sentence starts with a capital letter.
A sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.

3. Sentence Examples Sean was chosen captain of his soccer team.
Have you ever seen a Broadway musical?
What a thrilling adventure we had!
Stop! (the understood subject is you)

4. What is a sentence fragment?
A sentence fragment is a group of words.
A sentence fragment does not have both a subject and verb
And/Or
A sentence fragment does not express a complete thought.

5. Sentence Fragment Examples
Was a well-known ragtime pianist.
This group of words has a verb (was), but the subject is missing. Who was a well-known ragtime pianist?
A butterfly with bright blue wings.
This group of words has a subject (butterfly), but the verb is missing. What did the butterfly do?

6. Changing a Sentence Fragment to a Sentence
Even though she had worked a long time. This group of words has a subject (she), but it does not express a complete thought. What happened even though she had worked a long time?
Louise Nevelson had not completed the sculpture even though she had worked on it a long time.

7. Practice Examples
Tell whether the following groups of words is sentence or a sentence fragment.
If it is a sentence, identify the subject and the verb. Ask yourself--- what/who is this about?
Ask yourself--- what is the subject doing?
If it is a sentence fragment, identify the part that is
missing.

8. Practice #1 Can you name the famous woman in the picture below?
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment?
If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb?
If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing?

9. Answer to Practice #1: Can you name the famous woman in the picture below?
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment? This is a complete sentence. If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb? The subject of this sentence is “you” because it answers the question: who or what is this about? It’s about you answering the question. The verb or action of this sentence is “name” because it answers the question: what are you doing? You are naming the woman in the picture below.

10. Practice #2 A woman who made history.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment?
If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb?
If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing?

11. Answer to Practice #2: A woman who made history.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment? This is a sentence fragment. If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing? This is missing both the subject and the verb. This fragment is describing someone, but does not answer the questions: who or what is this about? What did they do?

12. How can you change this sentence fragment into a sentence?
A woman who made history. You could make this a sentence by adding the following: Sacagawea was a woman who made history. Who or what is this about? Sacagawea What did the subject do? Was (the “to be” verb form—more to come later!)

13. Practice #3 Even with all of that work, he still failed his class.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment?
If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb?
If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing?

14. Answer to Practice #3: Even with all of that work, he still failed his class.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment? This is a sentence. If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb? The subject of the sentence is “he” because it answers the question: who is this about? The verb/action is “failed” because it answers the question: what was he doing?

15. Practice #4 Had never visited another country.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment?
If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb?
If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing?

16. Answer to Practice #4: Had never visited another country.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment? This is a sentence fragment. If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing? There is no subject because there is no answer to: who or what is this about? There is a verb, “visited” because it answers the question: what was (subject) doing?

17. How can you change this sentence fragment into a sentence?
Had never visited another country. Sarah had never visited another country. Who or what is this about? Sarah What was this subject doing? visited

18. Practice #5 Stamps with pictures of animals or famous people.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment?
If it’s a sentence, what is the subject? The verb?
If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing?

19. Answer to Practice #5: Stamps with pictures of animals or famous people.
Is this a sentence or a sentence fragment? This is a sentence fragment. If this is a sentence fragment, what part is missing? There is no subject or verb in this fragment because it does not answer the questions: who or what did this? What did they do?

20. How can you turn this sentence fragment into a sentence?
Stamps with pictures of animals or famous people. At the post office you can buy stamps with pictures of animals or famous people. Who or what is this about? You What is the subject doing? buy

21. Graded Written Practice
Please complete and turn in all 3 of the following practice exercises.
You can print this out or get copies from the teacher.
Complete this practice on identifying sentences and sentence fragments.
Complete this sentence on identifying sentences and revising sentence fragments.
Complete this practice on writing interesting sentences using sentence fragments.