Avoiding Sentence Fragments
Getting Your
Sentences Right!
 Because my cat loves it.
(so what ?)
 Since he came to New York.
(what has been doing?)
 Unless you see me.
(what will happen?)
 The boy with the round face.
(what about him?)
These have incomplete ideas and end too quickly.
They are called sentence fragments.
Sentence fragment
Sentence fragment is a sentence that lacks a
subject or a verb and/or is not a complete idea.
A sentence fragment consists of one or all of the
following:
1. Dependent Clause
Because I was quite happy.
2. Phrase
The book on the table
3. Word
Time
Example # 1:
He in the garden.
It is missing a main verb
 He plays in the garden.
Example # 2:
After he finishes work.
It is a dependent clause only
After he finishes work, he will meet his
friend at the café.
Example # 3:
Walking in the park alone this morning
It is a participle phrase only
 Walking in the park alone this morning, I
felt so refreshed and energized.
Example # 4:
Second, pollution.
It is one word only, not an independent clause
 Second, pollution is harmful to both people
and the environment.
Example # 5:
To visit Cairo during summer
This is infinitive phrase, not an independent clause
 To visit Cairo in summer can be very exhausting.
Some
subordinating
conjunctions
after
Because
though
Before
As soon as
until
When
Although
once
While
By the time
if
since
Whereas
as
Correct the following sentence fragments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Hundreds of people in the streets.
If your parents think you are not doing your study.
Mrs. Maha gone to visit her mother at the hospital.
When you drive in the city during the evening rush hour.
To apply for a job at the new store in the mall.
As soon as Frank found out how expensive the cleaning
job would be.
7. Many of his customers coming back three or four times
over the summer.
8. that he has very little time for anything else.
9. Because she didn't want to tell where she had bought the
strange shirt.
My Hotel Job
My mother’s cousin owned a hotel, and I
worked there as a young woman. I enjoyed doing
this work very much. Met many interesting people.
One time a family came to stay in the hotel. They a
daughter and she was my age. often met and talked
about our lives. I invited her to my house to meet
my family. We shared our customs with her. Later
my mother told me something unforgettable. She
said, “I know that you are going to live in
America.” My mother a very smart woman, and
she was right. I came to America to search for my
friend. I still looking.
My Wonderful Discovery
After I had gotten up. I ate my
breakfast. While I was eating breakfast. I
heard a squeaking sound at my door. It was a
little kitten that was crying. It was really
cute. That I picked her up and took her inside
and gave her a big bowl of warm milk and a
soft blanket. I took the day off so that I could
take her to the vet. The vet told me she was
fine. Because I had given her what he needed:
milk and a warm blanket. She still needed a
home. I asked all my friends to take her. They
all wanted the little kitten. However, they
couldn't keep pets in their apartments. Now,
she is my pet and friend.
My Wonderful Discovery
After I had gotten up. I ate my
breakfast. While I was eating breakfast. I heard a
squeaking sound at my door. It was a little kitten that
was crying. It was really cute. That I picked her up
and took her inside and gave her a big bowl of
warm milk and a soft blanket. I took the day off so
that I could take her to the vet. The vet told me she
was fine. Because I had given her what he needed:
milk and a warm blanket. She still needed a
home. I asked all my friends to take her. They all
wanted the little kitten. However, they couldn't keep
pets in their apartments. Now, she is my pet and
friend.