Fragments

A sentence fragment is a group of words or a dependent clause. It does not have all the components to be a sentence, but can look like one with capitalization and punctuation.

A complete sentence must include a subject and a predicate. The subject must have a main noun and the predicate must have a verb. The noun and the verb are also the simple subject and simple predicate.

Phrase fragments
To fix a phrase fragment, link it to words that come before or after it.

EX: Outside the car
I stepped outside the car.

Phrase fragments
A fragment with only a noun needs a verb. It will need a subject and a verb when used as a complement, object of a preposition, or and appositive.

EX: The broken ipad.
The broken ipad sat on the desk.

Phrase fragments
A helping verb is needed if a noun fragment contains a noun modified by a participle phrase.

EX: The car driving fast.
The car is driving fast.

Clause fragments
Subordinate clauses must be added to an independent clause or missing parts of the sentence must be filled in to make it complete.

EX: In order to bake the cookies.
In order to bake the cookies, we must turn on the oven.

Series fragments
A series of words must always have both a subject and a verb to be a sentence.

EX: The big brown cows, small white chickens, and pink pigs.
The big brown cows, small white chickens, and pink pigs lived in the barn.

Practice: name the fragments

• As the cat came across the fish.
• Within the realm.
• The toast was slightly buttered.
• With my close friends.
• My glasses are fogging up.

PRACTICE: FIX THE FRAGMENTS

• Just off the coast.
• Away form the mean dog.
• In order to travel.
• The turtle moving slowly.
• We can not find.