{"id":754,"date":"2017-06-26T13:40:13","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T13:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-english1\/?post_type=chapter&p=754"},"modified":"2025-10-15T12:41:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:41:46","slug":"fragments","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-english1v2\/chapter\/fragments\/","title":{"raw":"Fragments","rendered":"Fragments"},"content":{"raw":"

GRAMMAR OFFENDER: The Fragment<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nSentence 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.\r\n\r\nWe 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.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nWhat is a fragment?\r\n\r\nFragments are simply grammatically incomplete sentences\u2014they are phrases and dependent clauses. These are\u00a0grammatical structures that cannot stand on their own and\u00a0seem to end abruptly, and leave one wanting to ask something like \u201c...and then what?\u201d<\/span>: they need to be connected to an independent clause to\u00a0work in writing.\u00a0<\/span>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.\u00a0<\/span>So how can we tell the difference between a sentence and a sentence fragment? And how can we fix fragments when they already exist?\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nListed below are some fragments. As you look them over, ask yourself \"What is it that prevents them from standing alone as complete sentences?\"\r\n\r\neven though his fans booed him\r\nbecause her mother was in jail for grand theft auto\r\nthe broken glass in the kitchen\r\n\r\nNone 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:\r\n\r\nEven though his fans booed him, he worked hard to improve his golf game.\r\nShe was abandoned because her mother was in jail for grand theft auto.\r\nI stepped on the broken glass in the kitchen.\r\n<\/strong>\r\n

Common Causes of Fragments<\/h3>\r\nPart 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\u00a0come about in writing because a\u00a0fragment\u00a0may already seem too long.\r\n\r\nNon-finite verbs\u00a0(gerunds, participles, and infinitives)\u00a0can 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\u00a0a phrase or a clause.\u00a0Let's look at a few\u00a0examples of these:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • Running away from my mother.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • To ensure your safety and security.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Beaten down since day one.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nEven though all of the above have non-finite verbs, they're phrases, not independent clauses. In order for these to be independent clauses, they would need an additional verb that acts as a verb in the sentence.\r\n\r\nWords like\u00a0since<\/em>,\u00a0when<\/em>, and\u00a0because<\/em> 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:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    after<\/td>\r\nalthough<\/td>\r\nas<\/td>\r\nas far as<\/td>\r\nas if<\/td>\r\nas long as<\/td>\r\nas soon as<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    as though<\/td>\r\nbecause<\/td>\r\nbefore<\/td>\r\neven if<\/td>\r\neven though<\/td>\r\nevery time<\/td>\r\nif<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    in order that<\/td>\r\nsince<\/td>\r\nso<\/td>\r\nso that<\/td>\r\nthan<\/td>\r\nthough<\/td>\r\nunless<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    until<\/td>\r\nwhen<\/td>\r\nwhenever<\/td>\r\nwhere<\/td>\r\nwhereas<\/td>\r\nwherever<\/td>\r\n\u00a0while<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe\u00a0words\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0which<\/em> do the same type of thing as those listed above.\r\n\r\nCoordinating conjunctions (our FANBOYS) can also cause problems. If you start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, make sure that it is followed\u00a0a complete clause, not just a phrase!\r\n

    Finding and Fixing Fragments<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLet's take a look at a couple of examples:\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Ivana appeared at the committee meeting last week. And made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product.<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. The committee considered her ideas for a new marketing strategy quite powerful. The best ideas that they had heard in years.<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nLet's look at the phrase \"And made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product\" in example\u00a0one. 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:\r\n

      Ivana appeared at the committee meeting last week and made a convincing presentation of her ideas about the new product.<\/p>\r\nLet's look at example\u00a0two. The phrase \"the best ideas they had heard in years\" is simply a phrase\u2014there 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:\r\n

      She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.<\/p>\r\nWhat about example\u00a0three? Let's look at the clause\u00a0\"Which she eventually sent to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.\" This is a\u00a0dependent clause; the word\u00a0which<\/em>\u00a0signals this fact. If we change \"which she eventually\" to \"eventually, she,\" we also turn the dependent clause into an independent clause.\r\n

      She spent a full month evaluating his computer-based instructional materials. Eventually, she sent the evaluation to her supervisor with the strongest of recommendations.<\/p>\r\nThere 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.\r\n\r\nTry 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.\r\n

      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.<\/p>\r\nAs 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.\"\r\n

      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.<\/p>\r\nIn certain sentences, the subject of the action is implied, as in command sentences, e.g., \u201cStop!\u201d is not a fragment because \u201cyou\u201d is implied and is the subject of the action.<\/strong>\r\n

      Writer\u2019s Tip<\/h3>\r\nIf 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.","rendered":"

      GRAMMAR OFFENDER: The Fragment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      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.<\/p>\n

      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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      What is a fragment?<\/p>\n

      Fragments are simply grammatically incomplete sentences\u2014they are phrases and dependent clauses. These are\u00a0grammatical structures that cannot stand on their own and\u00a0seem to end abruptly, and leave one wanting to ask something like \u201c…and then what?\u201d<\/span>: they need to be connected to an independent clause to\u00a0work in writing.\u00a0<\/span>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.\u00a0<\/span>So how can we tell the difference between a sentence and a sentence fragment? And how can we fix fragments when they already exist?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

      even though his fans booed him
      \nbecause her mother was in jail for grand theft auto
      \nthe broken glass in the kitchen<\/p>\n

      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:<\/p>\n

      Even though his fans booed him, he worked hard to improve his golf game.
      \nShe was abandoned because her mother was in jail for grand theft auto.
      \nI stepped on the broken glass in the kitchen.
      \n<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Common Causes of Fragments<\/h3>\n

      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\u00a0come about in writing because a\u00a0fragment\u00a0may already seem too long.<\/p>\n

      Non-finite verbs\u00a0(gerunds, participles, and infinitives)\u00a0can 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\u00a0a phrase or a clause.\u00a0Let’s look at a few\u00a0examples of these:<\/p>\n