Identify sentence fragments

key notes :

What is a Sentence Fragment?

A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but is not complete.
It cannot stand alone because it is missing:

• A subject 🧑‍🏫
• A predicate (verb) 🏃‍♂️
• Or both ❌

✅ Complete Sentence:

• She went to the market. 🛒
  ❌ Fragment:
• Went to the market. ❌

Common Causes of Sentence Fragments

Cause	Example	Explanation
Missing subject	Running to catch the bus. 🏃‍♂️	Who is running? ❓
Missing verb	The girl with the red hat 🎩	What about her? ❓
Dependent clause left alone	Because I was late. ⏰	Needs a main clause to complete the idea.
Phrase left alone	After the movie 🍿	It doesn’t tell a complete thought.

How to Identify Fragments

• Ask yourself: “Does this make complete sense on its own?” 🤔
• Check if there is a subject and a verb ✅
• Look for dependent words: because, if, when, which, who…
  → If the sentence starts with these and doesn’t finish the thought, it’s a fragment ⚠️

Example:

• Fragment: Because she studied hard. ❌
• Complete: Because she studied hard, she passed the test. ✅

Fixing Sentence Fragments

1. Add a subject or verb
   • Fragment: Running fast. ❌
   • Complete: He was running fast. ✅
2. Attach it to a nearby sentence
   • Fragment: After the storm. ❌
   • Complete: After the storm, the sun came out. ✅
3. Remove dependent words if not needed
   • Fragment: Although it was raining. ❌
   • Complete: It was raining. ✅

Examples for Practice

1. Fragment: Walking in the park. ❌
   Complete: She was walking in the park. ✅ 🚶‍♀️🌳
2. Fragment: Which was very expensive. ❌
   Complete: The bag, which was very expensive, was on sale. ✅ 👜💰
3. Fragment: Because he forgot his homework. ❌
   Complete: He was scolded because he forgot his homework. ✅ 📚😟

Tips to Remember

• A sentence fragment leaves the reader asking questions ❓
• Always check for subject + verb = complete sentence 🧩
• Use commas to connect fragments to main clauses when necessary ✏️

Let’s practice! ✍️