English for Academic Purposes

SENTENCE
FRAGMENTS
NGUYEN LE THANH GIANG, MA.
Definition
Remember that a complete sentence must have at least one main (independent) clause.

• A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence, but actually isn’t a
complete sentence.

• Sentence fragments are usually missing a subject or verb.

• They do not express a complete thought.

 Distinguishing Features

1 Missing a subject
Ex: Ran to the store faster than a rabbit.

2 Missing a verb or having the wrong verb form

Ex: My favorite history teacher.

Being an abandoned clause

3
Ex: When my mother married my father.

4 Being a misuse of “such as, for example, especially,” etc.

Ex: Such as, oranges and grapefruits are high in vitamin C.
 Mending
sentence fragments

Attaching to independent clauses

Giving the missing parts
 Fragment: Waiting for her reply.
Suggestion: I am waiting for her reply.
Fragment: Because some students work part-time while taking a full
load of classes.
Suggestion: Because some students work part-time while taking a full
load of classes, they have very little free time.

Fragment: To live and work for at least a year in a foreign country.

Suggestion: To live and work for at least a year in a foreign country
has always been my dream.