In this lesson, you will learn about sentence fragments in English, along with useful examples to help you understand them better. Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack important elements, such as a subject, verb, or a complete thought. By learning how to identify and correct sentence fragments, you can improve your writing and communication skills.
What are Sentence Fragments?
Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that are missing either a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. In other words, they don’t express a full idea, which makes them sound unfinished or disconnected from the rest of the text.
Examples:
Running in the park. (No subject)
- Example of a complete sentence: “I enjoy running in the park.”
Because I was tired and hungry. (No main clause)
- Example of a complete sentence: “Because I was tired and hungry, I decided to order takeout.”
With a big smile on her face. (No main clause)
- Example of a complete sentence: She greeted us with a big smile on her face.
Jumping over the fence and into the yard.(No subject or main clause)
- Example of a complete sentence: The cat was jumping over the fence and into the yard.
To fix sentence fragments, you can either add the missing subject or main clause or combine the fragment with a complete sentence to form a grammatically correct sentence.
Identifying Sentence Fragments
Recognizing sentence fragments is crucial for refining our writing. Here are a few key indicators that can help identify them:
Missing Subject: A sentence fragment can be identified if it lacks a subject, which is the doer of the action or the entity being discussed.
For example:
- Running in the park.
- This fragment lacks a subject and can be completed as: I enjoy running in the park.
Missing Verb: A sentence fragment may be missing a verb, which expresses the action or state of being.
For example:
- With a big smile on her face.
- This fragment lacks a verb and can be completed as: She greeted us with a big smile on her face.
No Main Clause: A sentence fragment may lack a main clause, which is an independent clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence.
For example:
- Because I was tired and hungry.
- This fragment lacks a main clause and can be completed as: Because I was tired and hungry, I decided to order takeout.
Types of Sentence Fragments
Let’s explore some additional examples to illustrate various types of sentence fragments:
1. Dependent Clause Fragments
A dependent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. These clauses usually start with words like because, although, when, if, or since. When a dependent clause is left on its own, it becomes a fragment because it can’t stand by itself—it’s incomplete.
Fragment Example:
- Because I was tired.
- (What happened because you were tired? The thought is incomplete.)
Fixed Sentence:
- Because I was tired, I went to bed early.
2. Phrase Fragments
A phrase is a group of words that functions as a part of speech (such as a noun, verb, or adjective), but it doesn’t contain both a subject and a verb. Phrases alone cannot be complete sentences, so when they’re written as sentences, they become fragments. There are several types of phrase fragments:
Prepositional Phrase Fragments: A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition (like in, on, under, with) and describes relationships between things. But on its own, it’s incomplete.
Fragment Example:
- Under the table.
Fixed Sentence:
- The cat is hiding under the table.
Participial Phrase Fragments: A participial phrase starts with a verb form ending in -ing or -ed and describes an action, but it doesn’t contain a subject.
Fragment Example:
- Running through the park.
Fixed Sentence:
- She was running through the park.
Infinitive Phrase Fragments: An infinitive phrase starts with “to” + a verb (to eat, to run, to find) but doesn’t form a complete thought on its own.
Fragment Example:
- To find the missing keys.
Fixed Sentence:
- She searched everywhere to find the missing keys.
3. Missing Subject Fragments
In some fragments, there’s a verb (an action), but the subject (who or what is doing the action) is missing. Without a subject, the sentence feels incomplete.
Fragment Example:
-
Ran to the store. (Who ran to the store?)
Fixed Sentence:
-
He ran to the store.
4. Missing Verb Fragments
In other cases, the sentence has a subject, but the verb (what the subject is doing) is missing. Without a verb, the sentence doesn’t tell us what’s happening, making it incomplete.
Fragment Example:
-
The students in the classroom. (What are the students doing?)
Fixed Sentence:
-
The students in the classroom are studying.
5. Appositive Fragments
An appositive is a word or group of words that explains or renames something else in the sentence. When an appositive is left on its own as a sentence, it’s a fragment because it doesn’t contain a subject or verb.
Fragment Example:
-
A talented musician. (Who is the talented musician? What is the musician doing?)
Fixed Sentence:
-
Sarah, a talented musician, performed at the concert.
6. Afterthought Fragments
Sometimes, a sentence fragment comes as an afterthought. It adds more information to a previous sentence but doesn’t stand alone as a complete sentence.
Fragment Example:
-
Such as working late and missing the party. (This feels like an incomplete detail after something else.)
Fixed Sentence:
-
I made some sacrifices, such as working late and missing the party.
7. Example and Explanation Fragments
A fragment may occur when a writer tries to provide an example or explanation but doesn’t form it into a complete sentence.
Fragment Example:
-
For example, the blue dress and the red shoes. (This doesn’t explain what you mean or form a complete sentence.)
Fixed Sentence:
-
For example, the blue dress and the red shoes were perfect for the occasion.
8. Subordinate Clause
- After finishing my work.
- This fragment is a subordinate clause and can be completed as: After finishing my work, I went for a walk.
9. Prepositional Phrase
- In the middle of the night.
- This fragment is a prepositional phrase and can be completed as: I woke up in the middle of the night.
10. Infinitive Phrase
- To travel around the world.
- This fragment is an infinitive phrase and can be completed as: My dream is to travel around the world.”
Correcting Sentence Fragments
To fix sentence fragments, we can employ a few strategies:
1. Dependent Clauses Without Independent Clauses: A dependent clause starts with words like because, if, or when and can’t stand alone. If you write just a dependent clause, it’s a fragment.
For example:
- Fragment: When she finished her homework.
- Fixed: When she finished her homework, she went outside to play.
2. Add the Missing Subject or Verb: Sometimes fragments happen when either the subject or verb is left out.
For example:
- Fragment: Running to the store.
- Fixed: She was running to the store.
3. Connect the fragment to a complete sentence: Phrases like prepositional phrases (starting with in, on, under) or participial phrases can look like complete sentences but are just fragments.
- Fragment: Under the bridge.
- Fixed: We found the missing keys under the bridge.
Example Sentences for Fragment Sentence
Here is a list of 50 examples of fragment sentences in English. These sentences will help you to memorize that these kinds or types of sentences are called fragment sentences:
- Running through the forest.
- Without any hesitation.
- Underneath the starry sky.
- Along the winding road.
- Hoping for a better tomorrow.
- Eating ice cream.
- In the corner of the room.
- Jumping over the hurdles.
- On top of the mountain peak.
- Without a care in the world.
- Because I said so.
- After the rain stopped.
- At the crack of dawn.
- Before the guests arrived.
- Without a second thought.
- In the middle of the chaos.
- During the summer vacation.
- After a long day at work.
- With a heavy heart.
- Behind the closed door.
- Without any explanation.
- Across the vast ocean.
- In the palm of my hand.
- Without looking back.
- Waiting for the bus.
- At the end of the movie.
- Without a doubt.
- Singing in the shower.
- In the dead of night.
- Wishing upon a star.
- Without any warning.
- On the other side of the river.
- Until the sun sets.
- Watching the sunset.
- In the back of my mind.
- Without a clear purpose.
- Without any support.
- Along the sandy beach.
- Behind the tall trees.
- With a broken heart.
- Daydreaming about the future.
- Without a plan in place.
- In the blink of an eye.
- Without any hesitation.
- Dancing in the rain.
- On the tip of my tongue.
- With a smile on her face.
- Without a moment’s notice.
- In the depths of despair.
- Without any direction.
Keep in mind that these are only sentence fragments and that full sentences must be added to create grammatically sound and meaningful claims.
Fragment Sentences Chart
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