A fragment is an incomplete sentence. In other words, it is only part of a sentence and it cannot stand alone. Fragments are not an unavoidable error: there are several ways that they can be recognized and revised.

One of the easiest ways to prevent fragments is simply to read through your written assignments before turning them in. However, since you may be overly familiar with your own work, it is even better to read through each paragraph backwards, sentence-by-sentence, to make sure that each sentence can stand alone. You will not be as likely to predict what is coming next, and it is easier to recognize fragments this way.

As you read through each paragraph in reverse order, make sure that each sentence can stand alone, that it has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

However, if a subordinating conjunction is tacked onto the beginning of the sentence, then the sentence, even with a complete subject and verb, becomes subordinate, and it needs a main (independent) clause to support it. The example below shows how a fragment occurs and what can be done to correct it.

Ex. The Johnsons go camping at Garner State Park every summer. Because they enjoy the park’s quiet beauty and relaxed atmosphere. Incorrect- the italicized part is a fragment.

Ex. The Johnsons go camping at Garner State Park every summer because they enjoy the park’s quiet beauty and relaxed atmosphere. Correct

Notice that correcting the fragment consisted of merely attaching the fragment to the preceding sentence. Always check the sentences immediately before and after a fragment to see if it makes sense to attach the fragment onto one of them. This revision is almost always the most efficient way to eliminate an ineffective fragment.

Along with our website, we recommend the following site: Big Dog’s Grammar: A Bare Bones Guide to English at http://aliscot.com/bigdog/fragments.htm. This site functions as a guide to understanding how fragments occur, and it also has an interactive self-test that students can take after reading the text.

Test your ability to recognize and revise fragments by identifying the fragment in each sentence pair and revising it accordingly.

1. Since we purchased our first new car, a red Firebird. We have changed our minds about the kind of car we want.

2. Although we were excited about having the vehicle.

    We were not very excited about making the payments.

3. We decided that it would be better to trade the car in for another vehicle.

    Because the car was going to be quite expensive to maintain.

Answers

1. The fragment is “Since we purchased our first new car, a red Firebird”

It can be corrected by attaching the fragment to the sentence that follows it.

Since we purchased our first new car, a red Firebird, we have changed our minds about the kind of car we want.

2. The fragment is “Although we were excited about having the vehicle.”

It can be corrected by joining with the following sentence through replacement of the period with a comma:

Although we were excited about having the vehicle, we were not very excited about making the payments.

Or

It can be corrected by omitting the subordinating conjunction “although," and creating two sentences.

We were excited about having the vehicle. We were not very excited about making the payments.

3. The fragment is “Because the car was going to be quite expensive to maintain.”

It can be corrected by joining it with the previous sentence.

We decided that it would be better to trade the car in for another vehicle because the car was going to be quite expensive to maintain.

Or

It can be corrected by omitting the subordinating conjunction “because”:

We decided that it would be better to trade the car in for another vehicle. The car was going to be quite expensive to maintain.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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