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?

Fragments are simply grammatically incomplete sentences—they are phrases and dependent clauses. These are grammatical structures that cannot stand on their own and seem to end abruptly, and leave one wanting to ask something like “…and then what?”: they need to be connected to an independent clause to work in writing. 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. So how can we tell the difference between a sentence and a sentence fragment? And how can we fix fragments when they already exist? 

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.

Common Causes of Fragments

Part of the reason we write in fragments is because we often speak that way. However, there is a difference between writing and speech, and it is important to write in full sentences. Additionally, fragments often come about in writing because a fragment may already seem too long.

Non-finite verbs (gerunds, participles, and infinitives) can often trip people up as well. Since non-finite verbs don’t act like verbs, we don’t count them as verbs when we’re deciding if we have a phrase or a clause. Let’s look at a few examples of these:

• Running away from my mother.
• To ensure your safety and security.
• Beaten down since day one.

Even though all of the above have non-finite verbs, they’re phrases, not clauses. In order for these to be clauses, they would need an additional verb that acts as a verb in the sentence.

Words like since, when, and because turn an independent clause into a dependent clause. For example “I was a little girl in 1995” is an independent clause, but “Because I was a little girl in 1995” is a dependent clause. This class of word includes the following:

The words that and which do the same type of thing as those listed above.

Coordinating conjunctions (our FANBOYS) can also cause problems. If you start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, make sure that it is followed a complete clause, not just a phrase!

Finding and Fixing Fragments

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples:

1. Ivana appeared at the committee meeting last week. And made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product.
2. The committee considered her ideas for a new marketing strategy quite powerful. The best ideas that they had heard in years.
3. She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.

Let’s look at the phrase “And made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product” in example one. It’s just that: a phrase. There is no subject in this phrase, so the easiest fix is to simply delete the period and combine the two statements:

Ivana appeared at the committee meeting last week and made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product.

Let’s look at example two. The phrase “the best ideas they had heard in years” is simply a phrase—there is no verb contained in the phrase. By adding “they were” to the beginning of this phrase, we have turned the fragment into an independent clause, which can now stand on its own:

She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.

What about example three? Let’s look at the clause “Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.” This is a dependent clause; the word which signals this fact. If we change “which she eventually” to “eventually, she,” we also turn the dependent clause into an independent clause.

She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Eventually, she sent the evaluation to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.

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 a 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 for themselves, 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.