1. What Is a Sentence Fragment?

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. It’s missing essential components that make it a full sentence, like a subject, verb, or complete thought. When we leave out one of these parts, the reader may feel the sentence ends too abruptly or doesn’t make sense on its own.

Example of a fragment:

“Running through the park.”

This doesn’t tell us who is running or provide a complete idea.

2. Basic Structure of a Complete Sentence

To avoid fragments, a sentence generally needs:

• A subject: the person or thing doing the action.
• A verb: the action the subject is performing.
• A complete thought: the sentence should make sense independently.

Example of a complete sentence:

“She is running through the park.”

Here, we have a subject (“She”), a verb (“is running”), and a complete thought that stands on its own.

3. Common Types of Sentence Fragments

Here are some common fragment types and how to fix them.

a. Missing Subject Fragments

• Fragment: “Hoping for a sunny day.”
• Fix: Add a subject.
  

  “She is hoping for a sunny day.”

b. Missing Verb Fragments

• Fragment: “The little dog in the garden.”
• Fix: Add a verb.
  

  “The little dog is playing in the garden.”

c. Dependent Clause Fragments

• Fragment: “Because I was tired.”
• Fix: Complete the thought or add an independent clause.
  

  “I took a nap because I was tired.”

d. Phrase Fragments

• Fragment: “Running down the hill.”
• Fix: Add a subject and a main verb to form a complete sentence.
  

  “The child was running down the hill.”

4. How to Avoid Fragments in Your Writing

• Identify your subject and verb: Every sentence should clearly state who or what is performing an action and what that action is.
• Read for a complete thought: Ask yourself if the sentence can stand alone or if it leaves unanswered questions.
• Combine fragments with complete sentences: If a fragment adds information to another sentence, try merging them.

5. Practice: Identifying and Fixing Fragments

Let’s practice spotting fragments and turning them into complete sentences!

Exercise
Fix each fragment below to make it a complete sentence:

1. “Although it was raining.”
2. “Walking through the old library.”
3. “The movie so exciting.”
4. “When the dog barked loudly.”

Answers

1. “Although it was raining, we still went for a walk.”
2. “She was walking through the old library.”
3. “The movie was so exciting.”
4. “The dog barked loudly when we opened the door.”

6. Quick Tips to Remember

• Dependent clauses (starting with “because,” “although,” etc.) need an independent clause to form a full sentence.
• Check for standalone meaning: If a sentence doesn’t stand alone as a complete idea, it’s likely a fragment.
• Combine when needed: Many fragments can simply be added to the sentence they relate to, making your writing more fluid and cohesive.