If you can't answer those questions, you've most likely got a fragment.įRAG The dinosaur magnet fell off the refrigerator. Always ask yourself who/what does, or who/what is, in the sentence. Conversely, your subject might also be a pronoun or a gerund (a verb ending in “ing” that functions as a noun) and may not look like a noun at all. Just because your sentence has a noun, that doesn't necessarily mean it has a subject noun. SENT The professor was waiting all morning for the bus.Ģ. SENT The professor, waiting all morning for the bus, grew impatient. (Sentences lacking a main verb will often sound incomplete when read aloud.)įRAG The professor waiting all morning for the bus. Watch out especially for verb forms that require a helping verb. Remember that just because your sentence has a verb, that doesn't necessarily mean it has a main verb. But don't mistake a sentence that’s simply short for a fragment a sentence like “I do” is correct because it has both a subject (main noun) and a complete verb.įix sentence fragments by adding missing elements, by incorporating the fragment into adjoining sentences, or by dropping the subordinating conjunction.ġ. 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 your reader.

Sentence fragments occur when a sentence lacks a subject and/or complete verb, or consists entirely of a subordinate clause.

Fragments meaning grammar