Sentence FragmentsWhat are they?

The Sentence Fragment: A sentence fragment is part of a

sentence set off by a capital letter and final punctuation.

It is an incomplete sentence.

Ex. The circus clowns under the big top.

The Complete Sentence: A complete sentence or main clause

contains a subject and a verb and is not a subordinating clause, a clause beginning with a word such as "because" or "who.”

Ex. The circus clowns work under the big top.

clowns = subject work = verb

CRITERIA: 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 (also called a dependent clause) not attached to a complete sentence Into the lap of a ferocious, hungry lion.

Put together… Placed together, these fragments

form a complete sentence!

The colorfully adorned circus clown tumbled across the entire length of the arena and into the lap of a ferocious, hungry lion.

An Explanation of Fragments: Why do we write sentence fragments? We write sentence fragments because

we often speak in sentence fragments!

Ex: No talking!

For example…. When we answer a question:

Example: Q. "What are you doing?" A. "Eating." Q. "When are you going home?" A. "At five o'clock."

And… When we give a command

Example: Did you ever get caught running through the halls in school? Your teacher yelled "No running!" She or he spoke in a sentence fragment!

To find out if it is a Sentence Fragment… 1) Find the verb:

Look for the verb in your sentence. If you do not have one, then your sentence

is actually a sentence fragment. Fragment: Students in purple boots and

green mittens. Ask yourself, "Where's the verb? Can I circle it?"

Revised: Students in purple boots and green mittens walk through a terrible storm. The verb in the sentence is "walk."

Also… 2) Find the subject:

Once you've located the verb, look for the subject in your sentence.

If you do not have a subject, then your sentence is actually a sentence fragment.       Fragment: Ran across the street and up a tall, newly blooming tree. Ask yourself, "Who or what performs the action?"

Revised: The kitten ran across the street and up a tall, newly blooming tree. The subject of this sentence is "kitten."

Remember: There is a type of sentence where "you" is understood to be the subject: (You) Pick up the dirty laundry off the floor.

    In all other cases, a subject is necessary for a sentence to be complete.

And finally… 3) Make sure the clause is not subordinate.

A subordinate clause is a clause (with a subject and a verb) introduced by a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun.

A subordinate clause is a sentence fragment. Subordinate clauses should not be used as complete

sentences. Subordinate clauses should be joined with complete

sentences. Fragment: When the girl ran across the street

The subordinating conjunction (when) leads us to ask, "What happened when the girl ran across the street?"

Revised: When the girl ran across the street, she was nearly struck by a car.

Now you know all about Sentence Fragments: Remember: Look for the VERB. If no verb, it is a

sentence fragment. Look for the SUBJECT. If no subject, it is

a sentence fragment. Look for the SUBORDINATE CLAUSE. If it

is one, it is a sentence fragment. Look for beginning words such as “because”, “after”, “since”, “when”, “if”.

Try it out…Is it missing a verb, subject or is a subordinate clause? Then it is a fragment!

Because the car was in the shop.

A story with deep thoughts and emotions.

The girl skipped home happily.

Eating chicken.

A complete sentence will always have… 1. a subject (the actor in the sentence)

2. a predicate (the verb or action)

3. a complete thought (it can stand alone and make sense—it’s independent).

Ex: Sally bought a new pair of shoes.

Know the difference! …between a sentence fragment and a

complete sentence.

A sentence fragment is essentially an incomplete sentence.

The End!