Chapter 1:

Review on the Structures

of English

SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

Prepared by: Arben S. Biona

BSEd English 2-A
 Learning Outcomes
At the end of the discussion, the pre-service teachers must be able to:

1. define a sentence fragment and identify its key characteristics,

a. distinguishing it from a complete sentence,

2. appreciate the importance of constructing complete sentences for effective

b. communication and clarity in writing; and

3.applying their understanding of preposition fragments, subordinate conjunction

c.fragments, and gerund fragments in correcting various types of sentence
fragments.
Your reporter this
morning.

en B i o n a
Arb
I am Arben, your
reporter this
morning.

en B i o n a
Arb
 Introduction
Writing is a powerful tool that goes beyond pen and paper; it is a gateway to
effective communication. Whether crafting an email, a story, or an academic essay,
the written word allows us to express ideas, share information, and connect with
others across time and space. The importance of writing in communication cannot
be overstated—it serves as a lasting record of thoughts, emotions, and knowledge.

However, the impact of writing relies heavily on its clarity and structure. A well-
constructed sentence provides coherence, guiding the reader through a logical flow
of ideas. On the flip side, sentence fragments, such as those created by
prepositions, subordinate conjunctions, or gerunds, can disrupt this flow. These
fragments leave thoughts hanging, hindering effective communication and
potentially leading to misunderstandings. Understanding and avoiding sentence
fragments are crucial skills in enhancing the power and precision of written
communication.
 Sentence Fragments
It is a group of words that may have a subject, but it has no predicate
or vice versa. It may have both a subject and a predicate, but it does
not express a complete thought. A fragment cannot stand on its own
although it looks like a sentence.

Examples:
"Because he was tired."
"Although she tried her best."
"Running down the street."
"In the corner of the room. Hiding from the storm."
"After finishing his homework."
 Sentence Fragments
Examples:
"Because he was tired."
"Although she tried her best."
"Running down the street."
"In the corner of the room. Hiding
from the storm."
"After finishing his homework."
Possible Revision
"Because he was tired, he decided to take a
nap."
"Although she tried her best, she couldn't
win the race."
"I saw him running down the street."
"He sat in the corner of the room, hiding
from the storm."
"After finishing his homework, John went
out to play."
Example of an Email with a sentence fragment:

Subject: Meeting Rescheduled

Greetings!

I wanted to let you know that the meeting

scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 PM has been
rescheduled. Due to unforeseen circumstances. We
apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Example of an Email with a sentence fragment:

Subject: Meeting Rescheduled

Greetings!

I wanted to let you know that the meeting

scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 PM has been
rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. We
apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Fragment with the
Fragment with the
missing subject:
missing predicate:
“Did not improve for the past
three years.” “Some girls in the class.”

Revision: Jonas’s stamina did Revision: Some girls in the

not improve for the past three class are not following the
years. rules.
 Ways to turn a fragment
into a complete sentence.
I. Rewrite and connect the fragment
to a complete sentence next to it.
II. Add the missing part of the
fragment - subject, verb, or
complete thought.
 Ways to turn a Rewrite and connect the
fragment to a complete
fragment into a sentence next to it.
complete sentence.
I. Rewrite and connect the Incorrect - I dropped my ID.
fragment to a complete On my way to school.
sentence next to it. Correct- I dropped my ID on
my way to school.
II. Add the missing part of Incorrect- If the main gate is
the fragment - subject, locked. Wait for the guard on
verb, or complete thought. duty.
Correct- If the main gate is
locked, wait for the guard on
duty.
 Rewrite and connect
Ways to turn a the fragment to a
fragment into a complete sentence
next to it.
complete sentence.
Incorrect - I dropped my ID. On
I. Rewrite and connect the my way to school.
fragment to a complete Correct- I dropped my ID on my
way to school.
sentence next to it.
Incorrect- If the main gate is
II. Add the missing part locked. Wait for the guard on
of the fragment - subject, duty.
verb, or complete Correct- If the main gate is
thought. locked, wait for the guard on
duty.
Add the missing part of
the fragment - subject,
verb, or complete
thought.
Incorrect- “The mayor of the
town.” ( A predicate is
missing. What is the mayor of
the town doing?)
Correct- The mayor of the
town distributes masks and
face shields to the local
residents. (missing predicate)
 Sentence Fragments Without a Subject
- Some sentence fragments lack a subject, so you need
to add it.
• Shows no improvement in your efficiency.
• Slammed the door and left.
• Was running down the lane and into the forest.

Revision:
- The evaluation shows no improvement in your efficiency.
- Sarah slammed the door and left.
- The moose was running down the lane and into the forest.
Sentence Fragments Without a Verb
- Some sentence fragments have a subject but no verb.
To make the correction, a verb needs to be added.
• Clothes and shoes scattered around the room.
• The elected official for our district unpopular.
• The boys in the back.

Revision:
- Clothes and shoes were scattered around the room.
- The elected official for our district was unpopular.
- The boys in the back are making loud noises.
 Dependent Clause Sentence Fragment
- Some sentence fragments are dependent clauses that cannot stand
alone. Therefore, you need to add an independent clause to make it a
complete sentence.
• Because it was raining.
• After I finish the project.
• To explain why it happened.

Revision:
- We canceled the picnic because it was raining.
- I will get a bonus after I finish the project.
- He neglected to explain why it happened.
 Exercise #1: What is Missing?
Directions: Read each sentence fragment below
and decide if a subject , a verb or a clause is
missing. Then, try to come up with a fix on your
own.
1. Told her about the broken Vase.
2. The store down on main street.
3. Looking forward to meeting with you.
4. Discovered the cure for the disease.
5. After walking over two miles. John remembered
his wallet.
 Exercise #1: What is Missing?
Directions: Read each sentence fragment below
and decide if a subject or verb is missing. Then,
try to come up with a fix on your own.

6. The brave firefighter saving lives during the

rescue mission.
7. Across the street from the old bakery.
8. Carefully crafting a beautiful sculpture.
9. During the storm, seeking shelter in the
basement.
10. Riding bicycles along the scenic trail.
 Identifying Sentence Examples:
Preposition Fragments 1."In the park."
- "In the park, children played on
Fragments! the swings."
A preposition fragment is a type of 2."With a big smile on her face."
sentence fragment that occurs - "With a big smile on her face, she
when a sentence is incomplete greeted her friends."
because it starts with a preposition 3."After the movie ended."
(a word that shows the relationship - "After the movie ended, we went
between a noun or pronoun and out for ice cream."
other words in a sentence) but Note: All these examples are preposition fragments,
lacks a main clause. they lack a main clause and don’t express a complete
thought.
 Subordinate Conjunction Fragments
A subordinate conjunction fragment is a type of sentence fragment that occurs when
a sentence begins with a subordinate conjunction (a word that connects a dependent
clause to an independent clause) but lacks a main clause. Subordinate conjunctions
introduce dependent clauses, and these clauses typically cannot stand alone as
complete sentences.

"Although it was "Because she studied "Since they arrived

raining." hard." early."
Although it was Because she studied Since they arrived
raining, they decided to hard, she passed the early, they had time to
go for a walk. exam. explore the area.
 Gerund Fragments
Gerunds are a little more complicated. Essentially, when a word ends in -ing, it can be
either a noun, an adjective, or a verb. If the -ing word is noun, or, in some cases, an
adjective, then it is known as a gerund.
Example:
Verb: I was working on my part of the report until midnight.
Noun: Working on reports until midnight make me tired the next morning.

."Swimming in the "Reading a book." ."Swimming in the

lake." lake."
While swimming in I enjoy reading a She spends her
the lake, we saw a book before evenings writing an
family of ducks. bedtime. essay for her class.
 Exercise #2: Identifying Sentence Fragments
Directions: Identify the fragments in the sentences and specify
what type of sentence fragments they are. Then, try to transform
each sentence into a complete sentence.

1. Working without taking a break. We try to get as much work done

as we can in an hour.
2. I needed to bring work home. In order to meet the deadline.
3. You’ll find what you need if you look. On the shelf next to the
potted plant.
4. To find the perfect job. Deidre scoured the classifieds every day.
5. Turning the lights off after he is done in the office. Robert tries to
conserve energy whenever possible.
 Key Takeaways:

A sentence fragment There are also different

They can generally be types of fragments:
occurs when it is
fixed by adding the prepositional fragments,
missing either a missing elements to the subordinate conjunction
subject, verb, or both. sentence. fragments, and gerund
fragments.
The most common issue is
that a verb is a missing.
 Activity: Correct me if I am wrong.
Directions: The following sentences are fragmented. Rewrite it correctly
and make a formal letter out of this context.

Subject: Quick Update

Hope you're doing well! Just wanted to give you a heads up on

the project. Running a bit behind schedule but making progress.

Client meeting tomorrow. Need your input on the presentation.

Your expertise is the key.

Meet in the afternoon? Coffee in the breakroom?

Cheers!
 References:
EnglishClub. (n.d.). Preposition list.
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

Grammarly. (2017, April 7). Gerund. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/gerund/

Traffis, C. (2020, December 16). What is a subordinating conjunction? Grammarly.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/subordinating-conjunctions/

Ashford University. (2019, September 30). Sentence Fragment.

https://shorturl.at/nyzT5

Walden University. (2020, March 12). Grammar: Run-On sentences and sentence
fragments. https://shorturl.at/vHL04
Thank you!
arbenbiona@gmail.com