6 | Sentence Fragments
6|Sentence Fragments
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Instructor's Notes
To assign the lettered questions that appear in the exercises for this unit, go to "Browse Resources for this Unit" or to the "Resources" tab. Students can also complete the numbered exercises for practice.To assign LearningCurve adaptive quizzing activities on the topics covered in this unit, go to the LearningCurve unit that follows this one.To download handouts of the Learning by Doing activities that appear in this unit, and to access lecture slides, teaching tips, and Instructor's Manual materials, go to the "Instructor Resources" folder at the end of this unit.
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Grammatical Sentences
A sentence is a word group that includes both a subject and a verb and can stand alone (see 5a).
A subject is 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 (see 2).
Unlike a complete sentence, a fragment is partial or incomplete. It may lack a subject (naming someone or something), a verb (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.
A verb is a word that shows action or a state of being (see 1c and 3).
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.
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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.
6aIf a fragment is a phrase, link it to a nearby sentence, or make it a complete sentence.
A phrase consists of two or more related words that work together but may lack a subject, a verb, or both (see 4b).
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.
6bIf a fragment is a subordinate clause, link it to a nearby sentence, or drop the subordinating conjunction.
A subordinating conjunction is a word (such as because, although, if, when) used to make one clause dependent on, or subordinate to, another (see 1g and 19d–19f).
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.
6cIf a fragment has a participle but no other verb, change the participle to a main verb, or link the fragment to a nearby sentence.
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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.
A compound verb consists of two or more verbs linked by a conjunction (see 5a).
6dIf a fragment is part of a compound verb, add it to the sentence with the subject and the rest of the predicate.
EXERCISE 6-1 Eliminating Fragments
Eliminate any fragments in the following examples. Some sentences may be correct. Example:
Michael had a beautiful Southern accent. Having lived many years in Georgia.
Pat and Chris are determined to marry each other. Even if their families do not approve.
Jack seemed well qualified for a career in the air force. Except for his tendency to get airsick.
Lisa advocated sleeping no more than four hours a night. Until she started nodding off through her classes.
They met. They talked. They fought. They reached agreement.
Being the first person in his family ever to attend college. Alex is determined to succeed.
Does our society rob children of their childhood? By making them aware too soon of adult ills?
Richard III supposedly had the young princes murdered. No one has ever found out what really happened to them.
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For democracy to function, two elements are crucial. An educated populace and a collective belief in people’s ability to chart their own course.
You must take his stories as others do. With a grain of salt.
EXERCISE 6-2 Eliminating Fragments
Rewrite the following paragraph, eliminating all fragments. Explain why you made each change. Example:
Some people assume that only women are overly concerned with body image. However, men often share this concern. While women tend to exercise vigorously to stay slender, men usually lift weights to “bulk up.” Because of their desire to look masculine. Both are trying to achieve the “ideal” body form. The muscular male and the slim female. Sometimes working out begins to interfere with other aspects of life. Such as sleeping, eating regularly, or going to school or work. These are warning signs. Of too much emphasis on physical appearance. Preoccupation with body image may turn a healthy lifestyle into an unhealthy obsession. Many people believe that looking attractive will bring them happiness. Unfortunately, when they become compulsive. Beautiful people are not always happy.