Fragments
Sentence Skills: A Workbook for
Writers, Form A
John Langan
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• A sentence fragment is a group of words that
is punctuated as a sentence but is not
grammatically correct.
• A sentence fragment may lack a subject, a
verb, or an independent clause.
– The wind velocity in hurricanes and
monsoons.
– The winds raging in hurricanes and
monsoons.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Locate the subject.
• Locate the verb.
– Inspires many poets and song writers. (This
lacks a subject.)
– The pleasant weather of May. (This lacks a
verb.)
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Verb phrase:
– To take advantage of sunlight in
photography.
• Prepositional phrase:
– Within the eye of the hurricane.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Noun phrase:
– Various theories for weather forecasting.
• Appositive phrase:
– One popular weather topic, el Niño.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• A clause that begins with a subordinator
(or dependent word) is a dependent
clause.
• These examples are not independent
clauses.
• If a tornado sweeps across the plains.
• Because snow is beautiful in the
moonlight.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Look for relative pronouns.
• Relative pronouns introduce clauses that
modify nouns or pronouns (who, which,
that).
– The instructor who argued against class
cancellations for snow.
• Revised:The instructor who argued
against class cancellations for snow was
very unrealistic.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Although relative clause fragments have
both a subject and a verb, they cannot
stand alone.
– Bob who intends to buy a small tractor
and a plow.
• Revised: Bob, who intends to buy a small
tractor and a plow, thinks he will earn
money removing snow this winter.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Combine the fragment with the sentence
that precedes it or with the sentence that
follows it.
– Dramatic weather conditions do not
always cause disasters. But at times create
beautiful situations as well.
– Correction: Dramatic weather conditions
do not always cause disasters but at times
create beautiful situations.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• The jet stream can pull cold air down from
Canada. Or bring warm air up from
Mexico.
• The jet stream can pull cold air down
from Canada or bring warm air up from
Mexico.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Dependent clause fragments begin
with a subordinating conjunction
(because, since, before).
• Although air traffic controllers
regulate flight patterns.
– Corrected: Although air traffic
controllers regulate traffic patterns,
they cannot control the weather.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
• Be aware of situations that can lead to
sentence fragments.
– Examine a sentence that begins with a
subordinating word.
• Because hail fell on the peach blossoms.
– Carefully select transitional words or
phrases which introduce examples or a list.
• For example, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence group is a correct
sentence or if it is a sentence fragment. (Click to see
the answer.)
Fragment
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
My Aunt Marie
being a good
cook.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Correct
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
She can spend
hours reading
a cook book.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Fragment
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
Although she
says that she
doesn’t
like to read.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Fragment
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
Special desserts
such as pecan pies,
chocolate cheesecakes, and pumpkin
cake roll.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Correct
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
Aunt Marie’s
desserts are not
for those who are
watching their diet.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Correct
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
Filled with cream and
sugar, these delicacies
contain hundreds
of calories.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Correct
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
It often seems
that any food
item that tastes
good is fattening.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Fragments
Decide whether each sentence
group is a correct sentence or
if it is a sentence fragment.
Fragment
Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E
For example,
ice cream and
chocolate cake.
©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.