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Key:

Hover over the grey underlined or bold words for pop-up notes.

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*Asterisk = examples of errors or poor constructions*.

Student Learning: Grammar

Sentence fragments (or incomplete sentences)

A fragment is pretending to be a 'sentence', but has insufficient grammatical features to qualify as one by itself. Although they are very common in conversational English, in your written work they should be adapted to become part of a bigger sentence, or modified to become an independent sentence.

  1. 1.1 Fragments caused by dependent clause markers:

    Often they can be identified by incorrect use of joining/linking words (conjunctions). Sometimes it might be as simple as the writer failing to connect the fragment to the preceding or following sentence.

I need to find a new flatmate. *Because the one I have now is leaving.* (Note: the asterisks signal a sentence with an error.)

I still don't understand the topic. *In spite of having read four articles.*

See our lesson on Clauses: dependent and independent for a more thorough explanation of this grammar.
When it is a matter of a dependent clause marker, the most obvious solution is to join the incomplete fragment to its independent sentence.

I need to find a new flatmate, because the one I have now is leaving.

I still don't understand the topic, in spite of having read four articles.

  1. 1.2 Missing subjects and / or verbs:

    A common problem is when the verb is missing from the sentence. Sometimes writers assume on the verb, or borrow the verb from another sentence. Doing this is not recommended in academic writing.

Janet left her revision quite late. *Two days before the exam.*

*Rubbish thrown everywhere.*