Identify sentence fragments

key notes :

1. What is a Sentence Fragment?

  • A sentence fragment is a group of words that does not express a complete thought. It may lack a subject, a predicate, or both.
  • Complete sentences require a subject and a predicate (verb) and must express a complete idea.

2. Common Reasons for Sentence Fragments:

  • Missing subject: A sentence fragment may not have a subject (who or what the sentence is about).
    • Example: Ran to the store. (Who ran?)
  • Missing predicate: A sentence fragment may lack a verb or action.
    • Example: The students in the classroom. (What are the students doing?)
  • Dependent clauses: A fragment can result when a dependent clause (a group of words that cannot stand alone) is used incorrectly as a sentence.
    • Example: Because it was raining. (What happened because it was raining?)
  • Incomplete thoughts: A sentence fragment may leave a thought unfinished.
    • Example: When I went to the park. (What happened when I went to the park?)

3. How to Identify Sentence Fragments:

  • Look for missing parts: Check if the sentence has both a subject and a predicate.
  • Test for completeness: Read the sentence and ask if it can stand alone and make sense.
  • Watch out for subordinate clauses: Look for words like “because,” “although,” “if,” or “when,” which introduce dependent clauses that need an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

4. Fixing Sentence Fragments:

  • Add the missing part: Add a subject or predicate to make the fragment a complete thought.
    • Example: Ran to the store. → She ran to the store.
  • Combine with another sentence: If a fragment is part of a larger sentence, connect it to a complete sentence.
    • Example: Because it was raining. → I stayed home because it was raining.
  • Change the structure: Convert dependent clauses into complete sentences by adding more information.
    • Example: When I went to the park. → When I went to the park, I saw many children playing.

5. Common Examples:

  • Fragment: After the meeting.
    • Fix: After the meeting, we went to lunch.
  • Fragment: In the morning before school.
    • Fix: I like to jog in the morning before school.

6. Practice Exercise:

  • Review sentences and identify whether they are fragments or complete sentences. If they are fragments, rewrite them to make them complete.
    • Example:
      • Fragment: When we got home.
      • Complete: When we got home, we started our homework.
Examples for Identify sentence fragments

Let’s practice! ✍️

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