sentence: A word group that includes both a subject and a predicate and can stand alone
Unlike a complete sentence, a fragment is partial or incomplete. It may lack a subject (naming someone or something), a predicate (making an assertion about the subject), or both. A fragment also may otherwise fail to express a complete thought. Unless you add what’s missing or reword what’s incomplete, a fragment cannot stand alone as a sentence. Even so, we all use fragments in everyday speech, where their context and delivery make them understandable and therefore acceptable.
That bicycle over there.
Good job.
Not if I can help it.
In writing, fragments like these fail to communicate complete, coherent ideas. Notice how much more effective they are as complete sentences.
I’d like to buy that bicycle over there.
You did a good job sanding the floor.
Nobody will steal my seat if I can help it.
Some writers use fragments on purpose. Advertisers are fond of short, emphatic fragments that command attention, like quick jabs to the head.
For seafood lovers. Every Tuesday night. All you can eat.
Those who text-message or tweet compress what they write because time and space are limited. They rely on the recipient to fill in the gaps.
Thru with lab. CU @ 8. Pizza?
In college writing, though, it is good practice to express your ideas in complete sentences. Besides, complete sentences usually convey more information than fragments — a big advantage in essay writing.
| 1a | If a fragment is a phrase, link it to a nearby sentence, or make it a complete sentence |
See A1 in the Quick Editing Guide for more on editing for fragments.
You have two choices for revising a fragment if it is a phrase: (1) link it to an adjoining sentence, using punctuation such as a comma or a colon, or (2) add a missing subject or verb to make it a complete sentence.
phrase: Two or more related words that work together but may lack a subject (will walk), a verb (my uncle), or both (to the attic)
subject: The part of a sentence that names something — a person, an object, an idea, a situation — about which the verb in the predicate makes an assertion: The king lives.
verb: A word that shows action (The cow jumped over the moon) or a state of being (The cow is brown)
| FRAGMENT | Malcolm has two goals. Wealth and power. |
| SENTENCE | Malcolm has two goals: wealth and power. [The phrase Wealth and power has no verb; a colon links it to goals.] |
| FRAGMENT | Al ends his stories as he mixes his martinis. With a twist. |
| SENTENCE | Al ends his stories as he mixes his martinis, with a twist. [The prepositional phrase With a twist has no subject or verb; a comma links it to the main clause.] |
| FRAGMENT | To stamp out the union. That was the bosses’ plan. |
| SENTENCE | To stamp out the union was the bosses’ plan. [The infinitive phrase To stamp out the union has no main verb or subject; it becomes the sentence subject.] |
| FRAGMENT | The students taking the final exam in the auditorium. |
| SENTENCE | The students were taking the final exam in the auditorium. [The helping verb were completes the verb and makes a sentence.] |
| 1b | If a fragment is a subordinate clause, link it to a nearby sentence, or drop the subordinating conjunction |
subordinating conjunction: A word (such as because, although, if, when) used to make one clause dependent on, or subordinate to, another: Unless you have a key, we are locked out. (See 14d–14f.)
Some fragments are missing neither subject nor verb. Instead, they are subordinate clauses, unable to express complete thoughts unless linked with main clauses. When you find a subordinating conjunction at the start or in the middle of a word group, that word group may be a subordinate clause. You can (1) combine the fragment with a main clause (a complete sentence) nearby, or (2) make the subordinate clause into a complete sentence by dropping the subordinating conjunction.
| FRAGMENT | The new law will help create jobs. If it passes. |
| SENTENCE | The new law will help create jobs, if it passes. |
| FRAGMENT | Because Jay is an avid skier. He loves winter in the mountains. |
| SENTENCE | Because Jay is an avid skier, he loves winter in the mountains. |
| SENTENCE | Jay is an avid skier. He loves winter in the mountains. |
| 1c | If a fragment has a participle but no other verb, change the participle to a main verb, or link the fragment to a nearby sentence |
A present participle (the -ing form of the verb) can serve as the main verb in a sentence only with a form of be (“Sally is working harder than usual”). A participle alone, used as a main verb, results in a fragment.
| FRAGMENT | Jon was used to the pressure of deadlines. Having worked the night shift at the daily newspaper. |
One solution is to combine the fragment with an adjoining sentence.
| SENTENCE | Jon was used to the pressure of deadlines, having worked the night shift at the daily newspaper. |
A second solution is to choose another form of the verb.
| SENTENCE | Jon was used to the pressure of deadlines. He had worked the night shift at the daily newspaper. |
| 1d | If a fragment is part of a compound predicate, add it to the sentence with the subject and the rest of the predicate |
compound predicate: A predicate consisting of two or more verbs linked by a conjunction: My sister stopped and stared.
| FRAGMENT | In spite of a pulled muscle, Jeremy ran the race. And won. |
A fragment such as And won sounds satisfyingly punchy, but it lacks a subject. Create a sentence by linking the two verbs in the compound predicate.
| SENTENCE | In spite of a pulled muscle, Jeremy ran the race and won. |
For punctuation advice, see 14a.
To emphasize the second verb, add punctuation and another subject.
| SENTENCE | In spite of a pulled muscle, Jeremy ran the race — and he won. |
A verbal is a form of a verb that cannot function as the main verb in a sentence but can function as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.
Using participles
When used as an adjective, the present (-ing) form expresses cause, and the past (-ed and -d) forms express effect or result.
The movie was terrifying to the children.
[The movie caused terror.]
The children were terrified by the movie.
[The movie resulted in terrified children.]
Using verbs with gerunds and infinitives
Some verbs are followed by gerunds (verb + -ing, functioning as a noun), others by infinitives (to + base verb), and still others by either.
appreciate, avoid, consider, deny, discuss, enjoy, finish, imagine, keep, miss, practice, recall, and suggest, among others
My family enjoys going to the beach.
agree, decide, expect, pretend, refuse, and want, among others
My mother decided to eat dinner at the Salad Shop.
continue, like, love, hate, remember, forget, start, and stop, among others
I like going to the museum, but Nadine likes to go to the movies.
NOTE: Some verbs, such as stop, remember, and forget, have significantly different meanings when followed by a gerund or by an infinitive.
I stopped smoking. [I do not smoke anymore.]
I stopped to smoke. [I stopped so that I could smoke.]
I used to live in Rio, but now I live in Ohio. [I lived in Rio in the past.]
I am used to living in Ohio. [I am accustomed to living in Ohio.]
I got used to living in Ohio. [I became accustomed to living in Ohio.]