GRAMMAR OFFENDER: The Fragment

Sentence fragments. Might sound good at first! More trustworthy. Because they’re simple. Not trying to complicate things. Like when a sentence goes on and on. Making you lose track of the ideas. Not like straight talk.

We use fragments constantly when talking, emailing, instant messaging (IMing), and texting: They save time and space and sound “natural.” Advertisements frequently use them to draw attention to key concepts. In academic writing, however, all but the most occasional use of fragments is considered inappropriate: too folksy, too speech-like and colloquial.

What is a fragment?

A fragment is a group of words that cannot stand alone. A sentence, on the other hand, has a subject (the doer or actor) and a predicate (the action) allowing it to stand on its own as a complete thought. Fragments seem to end abruptly, and leave you wanting to ask something like “…and then what?”

Listed below are some fragments. As you look them over, ask yourself “What is it that prevents them from standing alone as complete sentences?”

even though his fans booed him
because her mother was in jail for grand theft auto
the broken glass in the kitchen

None of the above are complete thoughts — they’re the beginnings or the ends of thoughts, but mean very little on their own. Now, read the following sentences:

Even though his fans booed him, he worked hard to improve his golf game.
She was abandoned because her mother was in jail for grand theft auto.
I stepped on the broken glass in the kitchen.

Finding and Fixing Fragments

There are a number of grammar-technical ways to recognize fragments, but the best way to find them in your writing is to read your work out loud. Listen for any sentences that may end in a period or other end punctuation but seem to leave you hanging, as if you want to say, “Well … ? Now what? Go on, finish it up!” The end punctuation may tell you to express “ending” (our voice usually falls when we’re reading out loud and get to a period), but the thought won’t be finished.

Try reading the following paragraph out loud and seeing if you can pick out the fragments — that is, the sentences that seem to leave you hanging.

Getting published is simultaneously one of the most exhilarating and taxing goals writers can set for themselves. Calling for equal parts patience and persistence. It is often a team effort among several players. Such as, the writer, perhaps an agent, friends and peers who will edit and respond to the work, and previously published writers who can provide advice. Another tension writers must negotiate when pursuing publication is audience appeal and personal integrity to one’s work. What is often called “being true to oneself.” Because getting published calls on writers to be flexible yet unique at the same time.

As you can see in the revised version below, fixing fragments is usually a matter of hooking up the fragment to the sentence before or after it (whichever one it seems to relate to), often using a comma, colon, or em dash; adding the missing actor (noun) or action (verb); or fleshing out the thought to express what was previously not “spelled out.”

Getting published is simultaneously one of the most exhilarating and taxing goals writers can set forthemselves, calling for equal parts patience and persistence. It is often a team effort among severalplayers, such as the writer, perhaps an agent, friends and peers who will edit and respond to the work, and previously published writers who can provide advice. Another tension writers must negotiate when pursuing publication is audience appeal and personal integrity to one’s work: what is often called “being true to oneself.” Because getting published calls on writers to be flexible yet unique at the sametime, it can be the most challenging yet most rewarding experience writers undertake.

In certain sentences, the subject of the action is implied, as in command sentences, e.g., “Stop!” is not a fragment because “you” is implied and is the subject of the action.

Writer’s Tip
If you struggle with fragments, read your paper out loud; listen for any sentences that may end in a period or other end punctuation but seem to leave you hanging.