SENTENCES AND FRAGMENTS
NOTICING: If you added the right punctuation at the end, which of the following are
complete sentences?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I am sleepy today
When it snows
That I saw yesterday
Are you tired
Who smiled at me
I smiled at the girl
In your writing, many of you often put a period after something that is not a complete
sentence, which means it’s a fragment. We’re going to do some practice to try to help
you understand that better.
Definition of clauses
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. There are two kinds of
clauses:
1 An independent clause is a complete thought, a complete sentence. It has the main
subject and verb of a sentence. (It is also called a main clause.)
2 A dependent clause is NOT a complete thought and is not a sentence. The
dependent clause gives incomplete information. It must be linked to an
independent clause. (It is also called a subordinate clause.)
EXAMPLES:
When do the students listen?
question)
=
Independent clause (Sentence—
The students listen.
statement)
=
Independent clause (Sentence—
when the teacher talks
=
Dependent clause (NOT a sentence)
The students listen when the teacher talks. = Complex sentence with independent
clause and dependent clause
Types of dependent clauses:
Adverb clause - This type of dependent clause modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or
adverb in the independent clause. Adverb clauses are introduced by a subordinate
conjunction (a kind of linking word).
For example: When it rains, I wear my hat.
Adjective clause - This type of dependent clause modifies or describes a noun or a
pronoun in the independent clause. Relative pronouns ("who", "whose", "whom",
"which", and "that") introduce adjective clauses.
For example: The book that I read last week wasn't very good.
Noun clause - This type of dependent clause is used as the subject or the direct object of
a verb. It is used the same way a noun is used. Noun clauses are introduced by the
following words: "who", "whose", "whom", "what", "where", "which", "when", "why",
"how", "that", "if", and "whether".
For example: The tour guide asked who wanted to go to the restaurant.
A dependent clause:
 cannot be written as a complete sentence.
 can be placed at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of an independent
clause.
 can use a simplified tense when the independent clause clearly shows the time.
For example, a dependent clause often uses the present tense instead of will +
infinitive when the independent clause uses the future tense.
 usually does NOT omit a repeated subject.
 is followed by a comma when it comes before the independent clause.
A fragment:
Is an incomplete sentence. There are four reasons something can be a fragment:
1. It’s missing a subject: e.g. Ran around the tree. (WHO ran around the tree?)
2. It’s missing a verb: e.g. My little sister. (My little sister DID WHAT?)
3. It’s missing both a subject and a verb: e.g. On the table. (WHAT IS on the table?)
4. It’s a dependent clause: e.g. Whenever I walk the dog. (WHAT HAPPENS
whenever you walk the dog?)
PRACTICE: Sentence Fragments
A. Identify the following as either a sentence fragment (meaning it is an incomplete sentence)
(F) or complete sentence (S).
____1. After getting home from school today.
____2. There are two things that my dog loves: going for walks and playing fetch.
____3. Playing soccer every day after school.
____ 4. In certain cultures, it is considered rude not to eat with your hands.
____ 5. It important that every student works his or her hardest.
____ 6. That I wanted.
____ 7. Who goes to the store every night.
____ 8. Going to the dentist is my least favorite thing.
____ 9. While I was at the store today.
____ 10. Iced tea, the most refreshing drink of the summer.
B. Next, take the fragments from above and make complete sentences from them.
C. Correct the errors in the following paragraph. When you find a fragment, sometimes it
works to just join it to the sentence that came before it or after it. Sometimes you need to add
new information for it to make sense.
George wanted nothing more but to be on the varsity soccer team this year. Over the summer.
He made sure he dedicated himself to 2 hours of practice every day. On some days he would run
to improve his stamina. On others, would drill certain positions and practice dribbling and
shooting. Sometimes his friends would meet him at the park. To play scrimmage matches and
help George improve. By the time tryouts came around. George was confident and excited. Not
only was he able to impress the coaches and earn a starting position. But George also became
team captain.
Exercise Sheet: Fragments Identifying Fragments
A. Label each of the following word groups as either a sentence (S) or a fragment
(F).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
__________Looking for the perfect pair of shoes.
__________ I paid for dinner.
__________Then I drove to the golf tournament.
__________Because she did not want to miss her favorite show.
__________Especially apple pie with ice cream and whipped cream.
__________Trying to score before time ran out.
__________To make it to the video store before it closed.
__________She carried pepper spray because she was afraid of being
attacked.
9. __________It was pouring so hard they thought the street would flood.
10.__________ Since the children had already gone to bed.
B. Revising Fragments
First, identify and underline the fragment in each group of sentences. Then,
correct it by adding it either to the sentence that precedes it or the sentence that
follows it. Don’t forget to use commas. Some problems may have more than one
possible answer, so corrections may vary.
1. Monica had to run several errands. After she picked up her son at school
and stopped by the bank. She went downtown to pay her electric bill.
Finally, she was able to go home and relax.
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Because the college is so large, it has serious problems with parking.
Students, faculty, staff, and visitors drive up and down the rows for hours.
Searching for any available parking space. Something must be done
about this issue.
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. To organize the church’s production. Sandra needed to hold auditions,
design the set, and hire someone to sew costumes. Because she was
also the director, she had to attend every rehearsal. The experience was
rewarding even though she was exhausted afterwards.
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Tom and Liz wanted to take a vacation, but they couldn’t decide where
to go. They wanted to see someplace exotic, but they did not want the
hassle of exchanging currency. They decided to visit Hawaii since it has
so much to offer. Such as beautiful beaches, snorkeling, diving, and
amazing food.
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
C. Revising Fragments in a Paragraph
The following descriptive paragraph contains three sentence fragments. First,
identify the three fragments, and then correct each one.
My five-year-old son Anthony is built like a little wind-up toy. His black curly hair,
bushy eyebrows, a cute button nose, and chubby cheeks, which people can't resist
pinching. These make him look like a life-size teddy bear. Anthony loves to wear his
favorite black leather jacket with the picture of the Skoal Bandit on the back. And
jeans with patches on the knees as a result of the holes he puts in them while
crawling on the floor, pushing his toy cars around. Indeed, he is a very energetic
little boy. In one afternoon, he will ride his bicycle, play video games, complete a
200-piece jigsaw puzzle, and, of course, play with his toy cars. In fact, his energy
scares me sometimes. For example, that time on the roof. He shimmied up a tree and
jumped onto the roof. However, he wasn't energetic (or bold) enough to climb back
down, and so I had to rescue my wonderful little wind-up toy.