In this example, the deliberate sentence fragment “Never again” is used to create emphasis and convey a strong reaction. Before you break the rules, however, you need to show that you know the rules, which means most of your sentences should be complete.

Dependent Clause: “Although I studied hard for the exam.” – This fragment is a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.• Below are some examples with the fragments shown in red. Punctuation and/or words added to make corrections are highlighted in blue. Notice that the fragment is frequently a dependent clause or long phrase that follows the main clause.

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Understanding sentence fragments and their various types is essential for improving writing skills and avoiding common grammar mistakes. By recognizing and correcting sentence fragments, writers can enhance the clarity and coherence of their writing. Remember to proofread your work for sentence fragments, punctuation errors, and other grammatical issues to ensure effective communication. Reading aloud is an excellent way to alert yourself to the presence of incomplete sentences. When are sentence fragments appropriate? These are also called fused sentences. You are making a run-on when you put two complete sentences (a subject and its predicate and another subject and its predicate) together in one sentence without separating them properly. Here’s an example of a run-on: Verb Deep divisions and distrust between officials in Mogadishu and regional leaders, as well as among clans and subclans, threaten to fragment the country. — Sarah Harrison, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2023 The audience is also fragmented thanks to the boom in streaming. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2023 Many of the animal’s native wetlands were fragmented and shrinking, and conservationists feared that global warming would finish the tortoise off. — Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 Hamas, however, is also fragmented, politically and physically, Kurtzer noted. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023 By contrast, middle-of-the-road and progressive sources were fragmented. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023 Unfortunately, this information can still be fragmented, and patient records can be outdated or erroneous, or include irrelevant material. — Karen Sepucha, STAT, 5 Sep. 2023 But despite the importance, the view of the predicament has often been fragmented. — Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Morris leans hard into certain visual conceits — the re-enactment actors are constantly shot against claustrophobic hallways, while the library in which Cornwell is filmed often looks to be fragmenting behind him. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2023 See More Subject: the subject is the noun or pronoun that is doing something in a sentence. Essentially, the subject tells us who or what is performing the verb in the sentence.

Possible Revision: Because the current city policy on housing is incomplete as it stands, we believe the proposed amendments should be passed. 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, or they do not express a complete thought. While it may be punctuated to look like a complete sentence, a fragment cannot stand on its own. Distinguishing FeaturesCorrect version: I had to clean the toilet​​—my least favorite chore. (Thought completed: I had to clean the toilet) These are two things that nearly everyone can do easily if the sentence is not a run-on, but they become next to impossible if it is. When the egg whites have the consistency of shaving foam. Stop whipping and add the vanilla essence. Without question, you should avoid sentence fragments in formal situations and academic writing. That said, a fragment within a clear context can sometimes serve a valid dramatic purpose. Journalists, bloggers, and fiction writers often use them. For example:

Remove preposition: Paying too much attention to polls can make a political leader unwilling to propose innovative policies. The easiest way to fix a sentence fragment is to add the missing part. This could be the sentence’s subject, verb, direct object, or an entire independent clause—or sometimes a combination of these. What are some common sentence fragment errors? Sometimes, a group of words can have both a subject and a predicate but still be a sentence fragment. Having these parts is the minimum requirement, but it’s not the only requirement. Subordinate clauses are easy to identify because they all start with a subordinating conjunction, such as “when sentences” or “when clauses” that start with the subordinating conjunction when . If you can remember all the subordinating conjunctions, you can recognize sentence fragments by the subordinating clause being alone without an independent clause. A sentence fragment is a group of words that is punctuated like a sentence but does not express a complete thought. It is missing either a subject or a verb, or both. Here are some examples of sentence fragments:

(Reason 2) Using sentence fragments for creating surprise.

He looked levelly at the great red face across the desk. 'It's a remarkable case-history. Galloping paranoia. Delusions of jealousy and persecution. Megalomaniac hatred and desire for revenge." - Moonraker, Ian Fleming Let’s look at them individually, with some sentence fragment examples. Missing a subject or predicate or both