WHAT DOES FRAGMENT MEAN IN A SENTENCE HOW TO

Which is why this little essay begins with a definition. And as any competent wordsmith knows, if you’re going to break the rules, you must fully understand them. Like any controversial subject, it’s complex. If sentence fragments are an integral part of our linguistic reality, are they acceptable in fiction? The answer is yes, but only sometimes. Which brings us to the crux of the dilemma. Fancy it?” In short, while we know in theory they are wrong, in the right context sentence fragments can feel absolutely right. And while she might shout “ I’m going out” at his retreating figure, she might also equally text a friend the following: “Bad day. A sullen teen, limiting himself to as few words as possible might grunt to his mother: “Going out”. Take, for instance: “Because you’re worth it”, “The beer of kings”, or “Finger lickin’ good”. Otherwise, your sentence is not a complete thought.Catchy, succinct and attention grabbing, sentence fragments are everywhere in advertising. If your sentence requires a helping verb, you must add one. However, verbs can also join together other parts of a sentence. Many writers and readers think of verbs as action words. Your sentence may lack a verb, subject, or both.

What Causes a Sentence Fragment?Ī sentence fragment occurs when your thought is not complete. Or, in casual everyday conversations and informal writing like texts (or like this sentence and the last one 😉). You may see intentional fragments in creative writing like plays, novels, and poems. Intentional fragments are a conscious (or intentional) stylistic choice rather than an accidental grammatical error. Like all fragments, an intentional fragment is a group of words that doesn’t express a complete thought. In other words, the author intended to write an incomplete sentence. What is an Intentional Fragment?Īn intentional fragment is a phrase the author deliberately chose not to complete notwithstanding the grammatical error. Even still, if it doesn’t express a complete thought, it’s a fragment (the fragment “ By the door?” versus the complete sentence “ Should I leave these by the door?“).

A fragment might look like a sentence because it contains punctuation like a question mark (?) or exclamation point (!). Often, this is because the phrase doesn’t contain a subject or verb. A sentence fragment is a group of words that fails to express a complete thought. Is a Question a Fragment?Ī question can be a fragment, but this isn’t always the case. Then, you turn around and say, “Please stop.” It’s understood that you’re referring to the boy (subject) and requesting that he cease kicking (complete thought). The child keeps kicking your chair and disturbing you. Therefore, “stop” is not a fragment because it expresses a complete thought and an implied subject as well as contains a verb.įor example, imagine you are sitting on a train and there is a small boy in the seat behind you. However, the subject is actually implied or understood, meaning it’s contained in the way we form the verb. This might be confusing since sentence fragments are usually incomplete thoughts that are missing a subject or a verb the command “stop” might seem like a verb without a subject. Consider the sample clauses and sentences below: A sentence fragment may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, but it doesn’t express a complete thought and can’t stand on its own. It is missing an element like a subject or a verb, making it incomplete. What is a Sentence Fragment?Ī sentence fragment is a group of words that look like a sentence but is not. A sentence fragment occurs when your sentence lacks a subject, verb, or complete thought.

WHAT DOES FRAGMENT MEAN IN A SENTENCE HOW TO

Then, we’ll show you how to spot them with sentence fragment examples as well as the easiest ways to fix fragments fast. First, we’ll look at the sentence fragment definition and the types of fragments. In the same way, nor can you write half a sentence. You can’t tell half a story without annoying someone. Or, you can attach the fragment to an existing complete sentence. Easily fix a fragment by revising your words to include a missing subject or verb.Watch out for participle phrases and appositives when you create sentences.Since independent clauses are complete sentences, they are not fragments.Since dependent clauses can’t stand on their own, they are a type of sentence fragment.

Even though some fragments have punctuation, they are still incomplete sentences.

Fragments are often missing a subject or verb.

When a group of words doesn’t form a complete thought, that’s a sentence fragment.

What does fragment mean in a sentence