Fragments

Fragments

What is a fragment?

A fragment is a sentence that expresses an incomplete thought.

There are a few kind of fragments:

  1. The “missing subject” fragment tells us something is happening, but the sentence doesn’t say who or what is doing the action, like this:
                 Trying to see the craters on the moon.
  2. The “added detail” fragment occurs when a sentence begins with a transition, gives us an example about something, and then stops, like this:
                 Such as craters.
  3. The “to” fragment occurs when a sentence starts with a “to” verb, but doesn’t finish the thought, like this:
                 To see the craters on the moon.
  4. The “dependent clause” fragment is a sentence that has a subject and a verb, but the thought isn’t complete, like this:
                 When the boy squinted into the telescope.

The way to fix a fragment is simple. Just connect the fragment to the sentence that comes before or after it, and helps it to make sense, like this:
     The boy looked into the telescope, trying to see the craters on the moon.

Or add the missing information:
The boy is trying to see the craters on the moon.

Tips to Remember:

Fragments are incomplete sentences that don’t make sense on their own. They can be fixed easily by using a comma to connect them to an existing sentence that makes them complete or by providing the missing information.


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Page last updated June 26, 2023.