A sentence fragment is a word group that is incorrectly punctuated as if it were a complete sentence, beginning with an initial capital letter and ending with a period or other end punctuation. Ppt sentence fragments powerpoint presentation free to. A complete sentence is not merely a group of words with a capital letter at the beginning and a period or question mark at the end. Complete sentences a sentence must contain both a subject and a verb. The fragments that most students have trouble with, however, are dependent clauses they have a subject and a verb, so they look like complete sentences, but they dont express a complete thought. Use these 32 multiple choice task cards to help students identify complete sentences, sentence fragments and runon sentences.
Learn how to turn a fragment into a sentence in this video. It begins with the words which, because, although, before, while. A sentence fragment is a piece of information that is punctuated as a sentence but that lacks some of the characteristics of a complete sentence. Sentence fragments are groups of words that dont express complete thoughts.
Sentence fragments a sentence fragment is a part, or piece, of a sentence placed by itself as if it were a complete sentence. A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence, but actually isnt a complete sentence. To be a sentence, groups of words need to have at least one independent clause. The one important difference is that a fragment does not contain a main clause. If the word group is a sentence, write s on the line provided. In example 1, the second word group is not a sentence because we do not know who or what was trying to stay awake. Sentences and sentence fragments make each sentence fragment into a sentence by adding one of the groups of words in the box. In english grammar, a sentence fragment is a group of words that begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point but is grammatically incomplete.
While it may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, a fragment cannot stand on its own. Sentence fragments lack one or both of these elements, both of which are required to form an independent clause. Sentence fragments a sentence fragment is a piece of information that is punctuated as a sentence but that lacks some of the characteristics of a complete sentence. Sentence fragments sentence fragments occur when a sentence lacks a subject and or complete verb, or consists entirely of a subordinate clause. A sentence can be two words he jumps and a sentence fragment can be fifty words. Here is a participle phrase pretending to be a complete sentence. Fix and rewrite the sentence fragments to make a correct sentence. Sentence fragments an incomplete sentence is called a sentence fragment. Finding and fixing sentence fragments worksheet by barbara. Identifying sentences and sentence fragments duration. Im going to need more examples to explain this one. Remember to use correct capital letters at the beginning of sentences.
In the simplest grammatical terms, a sentence fragment lacks a mainor independentclause. Sentences, runons, and fragments sinclair community college sentences, runons, and fragments 1. Revising fragments and runons continue your education. Other fragments will require a comma whether you connect them at beginning or the end.
In the case of irregular verbs, an irregular past participle, like burnt or spoken, will begin the phrase. I often imagine that listeners are writing long things such as articles, essays, and books. Another name for a sentence is an independent clause. You will receive your score and answers at the end. They can, however, get you into trouble if you are a beginning writer. While the flock of pigeons, pecking at sandwich crumbs and strutting along the sidewalk as if to say to passersby, we own the block, crossed into the territory of our rose garden.
One of the easiest ways to correct them is to remove the period between the fragment and the main clause. A fragment lacks either a subject, a predicate, or does not communicate a complete thought. In order to spot a sentence fragment, a writer needs to make sure each sentence is an independent clause with a subject and a verb. Because she exercises regularly, she is in good condition. Sentences and sentence fragments a sentence expresses a complete thought or idea and contains a subject and a predicate a verb. Sentence fragments are groups of words that look like sentences, but arent.
Fragments and runons this module will cover run on sentences, comma splices and fragments. Sentence fragments occur when a sentence lacks a subject andor complete verb, or consists entirely of a subordinate clause. Elements of literature sentence structure 81 name class date language 8 sentence structure handbook continued. To correct this sentence fragment, attach it to the preceding sentence and replace. To use the choices worksheet, have each student pick an activity that interests him or her. Both groups of words begin with a capital letter and conclude with an end markusually a period. The rot offers many different foods, such as pizza. There are four sentence errors that can produce fragments. Some fragments are incomplete because they lack either a subject or a verb, or both. Sentence fragments in fiction can be a useful way of conveying pace, tone, and intensity. A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence because it lacks a subject, lacks a verb, or is a dependent clause. Choose from 500 different sets of english 1 sentence fragments flashcards on quizlet.
They are fine to use in conversation or in informal writing, but they are a nono when it comes to formal writing. In their book when words collide 2012, kessler and mcdonald note that sentence fragments can be single words, brief phrases, or lengthy. The movie takes place in the middle of the 18th century. Writers can aim to avoid sentence fragments with clear and purposeful editing.
A sentence fragment is a chunk of language that hasnt made it all the way to being a working sentence. If you choose to connect them at the end, however, these same fragments require no punctuation at all. Because she ate too much cake, julie had a stomach ache all day. After you have completed all the sentences, read them in order to make a narrative. The subject identifies who or what is performing an action and the verb identifies the action being performed. We talk about sentence fragments in contrast to complete sentences. Which is why i always use complete sentences in my own writing. Do you see a complete verb the helping and action words. Cliffsnotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what youre studying, cliffsnotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Dependent clause fragments usually start with a subordinating conjunction such as because, although, or if. A fragment is an incomplete thought that is punctuated as if it is a complete thought. Before you include an intentional fragment in a piece of writing, you should.
It is a fragment if one of these elements is missing, as in the following example. Sentence fragments n o r t h a m p t o n c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e l e a r n i n g c e n t e r college center suite 315 6108615517 lc september 2011. Im sure you all get that this is a complete sentence because it has a. Sentence fragments are usually missing a subject or verb, or they do not express a complete thought. Though sentence fragments can be used in genres like creative writing and advertising for emphasis or stylistic purposes, in formal academic writing fragments can undermine your authority and distract. Improve your language arts knowledge with free questions in is it a complete sentence or a fragment. A sentence may have both a subject and a verb, but will still be a fragment if it. Sentence, fragments, and runons sentencefragmentrunon a sentence has three requirements. The fragments appearing most frequently are either phrases or dependent clauses. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. Sentence fragments sentence fragments occur when a sentence lacks a subject andor complete verb, or consists entirely of a subordinate clause. Exercise a decide whether each of the following word groups is a sentence or a sentence fragment. Even if a writer accidentally includes a fragment, he can check for these during the revision process.
A sentence that does not have both a subject and a verb is a fragment. A fragment is an incomplete sentence punctuated as though a complete sentence. Sentence, fragments, and runons sentencefragmentrunon. Sentence fragments fragments are incomplete sentences. Sentence fragment definition is a word, phrase, or clause that usually has in speech the intonation of a sentence but lacks the grammatical structure usually found in the sentences of formal and especially written composition. Sentence fragments overview what is a fragment types of fragments how to fix fragments activity what is a sentence fragment. This powerpoint presentation was created by charles. Apr 02, 2012 fragments a sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. Other kinds of punctuation may be needed for the newly combined sentence. Sentence fragment definition of sentence fragment by.
Phrase fragments dependent clause fragments through the door. When a sentence is unfinished, either because it is missing a subject or verb, or because it lacks the information needed to express the thought, it is a sentence fragment. This quiz is designed to test your ability to identify and correct sentence fragments and runon sentences. A group of words that is not a complete sentence is a fragment. It stars gugu mbatharaw as the illegitimate mixedrace daughter of a royal navy officer in britain. A sentence expresses a complete thought or idea and contains a subject and a predicate a verb.
Sentence fragments and runon sentences proprofs quiz. I didnt have time to write a short letter, so i wrote a long one instead, is a famous quotationa. Sentence fragments and runon sentences a sentence is a group of words that names something and makes a statement about what is named. A sentence contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id.
We amateurs should be cautious about trying this stuff at home. Being able to find the main subject, the main verb, and the complete thought is the first trick to learn for identifying fragments and runons. Sentences and sentence fragments underline each sentence. A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence masquerading as a complete one.
These task cards are perfect for test prep and will work well at literacy centers, stations, for partner work, or with the whole class using a game like scoot. Fragments worksheet belle is a 20 british film which i highly recommend. Most sentence fragments are phrases, or subordinate clauses, or combinations of the two. A sentence has a subject and a verb and makes a complete thought.
To identify fragments, ask what has been left out of a word group. My friend sheila and i saw a brown toad hopping on the sidewalk. Fragments usually begin with a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun. Sentence fragments quiz hard innisdale ss proprofs quiz. However, overuse can lead to lazy writingfragments should be used sparingly, and for a good storytelling purpose. Some fragments, for example, will require a comma if you connect them at the beginning of a main clause. Simply adding a capital letter and a period does not magically make these words into a sentence. If the group of words is a fragment, write an f on the line. It will enable the student to identify potential runons and fragments as well as determine the appropriate way to fix them fragments are sentences that are incomplete.
1047 1478 642 715 834 811 1416 727 480 1319 595 799 707 296 1236 1023 378 1424 42 100 1061 1103 893 1534 1184 854 821 1470 3 393 1040 35 967 563 173 1268 1222 965 884 1381 704 1155 369 398