Grammar Handbook: Sentence Fragments

The Center for Writing Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A sentence fragment is a part of a sentence punctuated as if it were a complete sentence. It is a group of words that begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, exclamation point, or a question mark, but does not express a complete thought.

Phrases as Sentence Fragments
Clauses as Sentence Fragments
Using Sentence Fragments
Misusing Sentence Fragments

:: Phrases as Sentence Fragments
: A word group is a sentence fragment if it lacks a subject.

Swam into the ocean.
Note: Sentences in the imperative mood (e.g., "Swim into the ocean!") have, by convention, an understood "you" for a subject and are not considered fragments.

: A word group is also a sentence fragment if it lacks a verb.

The white plastic chair.

: A word group missing both a subject and a predicate is a sentence fragment.

As in the lives of many.
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:: Clauses as Sentence Fragments
Warning: These are only guidelines for spotting a sentence fragment, not hard and fast rules.

A clue that a group of words may be a sentence fragment is that it begins with a subordinator. Often, when a group of words begins with a subordinator, it is a dependent clause, a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence. Some common subordinators are: when, until, after, before, however, while, because, since, though, although, if, so that, so, and where.

Example: Until the day is over.

Another clue is that the word group begins with a relative pronoun. Some common relative pronouns are: that, who, whose, whom, which, and when.

Example: Whom Kelly had known since the third grade.
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:: Using Sentence Fragments
Students should understand that sentence fragments can be used in writing, but that they should be used rarely and cautiously. Pointing out these structures in literature might be a good way to identify the difference between strong use of sentence fragments and weak sentence fragments.

Example: Every life is many days, day after day. We walk through ourselves, meeting robbers, ghosts, giants, old men, young men, wives, widows, brothers-in-love. But always meeting ourselves.
(James Joyce)

The last word group is a sentence fragment. A sentence fragment is used here for emphasis. In this example, the meaning of the fragment is clear.
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:: Misusing Sentence Fragments
It is very easy to misuse sentence fragments. The following piece of writing shows how this misuse can make writing unclear and disorganized.

Example: It is my opinion that the baseball strike should end. A salary cap is not a bad idea. After all, the players receive huge salaries. More money than the president.

The last word group is a sentence fragment.
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