S3 Sentence Fragments
subject The part of a clause that identifies who or what is being discussed.
predicate The part of a clause that includes a complete verb and describes the action or state of the subject.
dependent clause A word group that has a subject and a predicate but cannot stand by itself as a sentence; it must be connected to an independent clause.
A fragment is either an incomplete sentence, lacking a complete subject or predicate, or a dependent clause punctuated incorrectly as a sentence.
| FRAGMENT | Tonight it’s my turn. A ride-along with Sergeant Rob Nether of the Green Valley Police Department |
Because a fragment can often be edited in several ways, begin by considering what the fragment lacks and how its ideas relate to those in the sentences before and after it. Then use one of the following strategies to change the fragment into a complete sentence.
Connect the fragment to a complete sentence.
To edit the fragment in the opening example, the writer might connect it to the preceding sentence.
Eliminate the subordinating word(s) that make a clause dependent.
Add or complete the verb or subject to change a fragment into a complete sentence.
Exception: Use fragments intentionally for emphasis or special effect.
- The bare utility of the clock echoes the simplicity of the office. No sign of a large hardwood desk, a pillowy leather chair, or even a wall of imposing law books.
Use intentional fragments cautiously. Especially in academic writing, readers may perceive them as errors, regardless of your intentions. In the preceding example, the same impact might also be achieved by using a colon or dash.
