A fragment is a piece of a sentence, words strung together which do not express a complete thought (doer and action).
In formal writing, anything between an initial capital letter and an ending punctuation (period, question mark, or exclamation mark) should be a complete sentence.
It should express an understandable thought with a subject (doer) and a verb (action). Some verbs require objects, what the action was done upon (direct object: what was thrown, what was eaten, what was written, etc.) and perhaps the receiver or doer of the action (indirect object: to whom or by whom). Prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and other phrases add to the sentence.
In writing fiction, occasionally an incomplete sentence expresses the desired thought in connection with what comes before. (“Occasionally” does not mean once a page.)
Examples:
- Go!
- Come home before the street lights come on.
- Don’t!
- Don’t touch the stove when the burners are lit.
In dialogue, especially when answering questions, people respond to the subject and the verb of the person asking.
Examples:
- Elizabeth: Looking for something?
- (fragment, no subject)
- Hansen: My baseball cap.
- (fragment, no subject or verb)
- Elizabeth: Where’d you look?
- (sentence with “did” contracted onto “where”)
- (subject = “you,” verb = “[di]d … look”)
- Hansen: Everywhere. All over the house. Even in the pantry.
- (each of these is a fragment, no subject or verb)
- Elizabeth: What about outside?
- (fragment, no subject or verb)
- Hansen: Never took it outside.
- (fragment, no subject. verb = “took”)
- Elizabeth: Why not?
- (fragment, no subject or verb)
- Hansen: Haven’t been outside since I wore it for the game.
- (fragment, no subject. verb = “have … been”
Length alone does not create a complete sentence.
These examples are struck through because they are not complete sentences. The sentences in bold have both subject and verb added.
All the way to town with the old car in first gear because of the muddy condition of the road.
- (No subject or verb. Except for the conjunction “because,” the sentence is composed of prepositional phrases: “on the way,” “to town,” “with the old car,” “in first gear,” “of the muddy condition,” “of the road”
- We talked all the way to town with the old car in first gear because of the muddy condition of the road.
At the top of the highest tree in the forest in the mountain valley unknown to anyone other than the forest rangers.
- (No subject or verb)
- (Except for the adjective “unknown,” the sentence is composed of prepositional phrases: “at the top,” “of the highest tree,” “in the forest,” “on the mountain,” “to anyone,” “other than the forest rangers”)
- Crows cawed at the top of the highest tree in the forest in the mountain valley unknown to anyone other than the forest rangers.
This example is struck through because it is not a complete sentence. The indented sentences in regular print have both subject and verb added.
The teacher who sent the boys to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the lunch room when no adult was present.
- (First clause = “who sent the boys …”)
- (Dependent clause = “when no adult was present”)
- Subject of the first clause = “who,” verb = “sent. Subject of the dependent clause = “no adult”)
- (Verb for the first clause = “sent,” verb for the dependent clause = “was”)
- (Prepositional phrases = “to the office,” “for throwing spitwads,” “at the girls,” “in the lunch room”)
- (Subject of the sentence = “teacher.”)
- (Nothing is left to be the verb)
- The teacher sent the boys to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the lunch room when no adult was present.
- (Removing “who” makes the teacher the subject of the entire sentence.)
- The teacher who sent the boys to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the lunch room when no adult was present was the mother of two of the boys.
- (Adding a verb phrase to the end of the sentence clarifies who the teacher was.
- (This sentence should probably be rewritten or divided into at least two sentences, as it has become confusing.)
- The teacher, the mother of two of the boys, sent the group to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the unattended lunch room.
- The teacher sent the boys to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the unattended lunch room. She was the mother of two of them.
- The teacher sent the boys to the office for throwing spitwads at the girls in the lunch room when no adult was present.
Examples:
Resting in her pen in the bright sunshine of the warm afternoon on the day of her birth.(No subject, no verb
(“Resting” = present participle)
(Prepositional phrases: “in the pen,” “in the bright sunshine,” “of the warm afternoon,” “on the day,” “of her birth”)
The lamb enjoyed resting in her pen in the bright sunshine of the warm afternoon on the day of her birth.
Resting in her pen in the bright sunshine of the warm afternoon on the day of her birth, the lamb slept.
His boat destroyed by the storm, swimming with all his might, straining to reach the shore.
- (No subject, no verb)
- (“His boat” tells what was destroyed by the storm, but there is no verb (“was”) before the past participle.)
- (“His boat” would not be the subject of “swimming” or “straining,” both of which are present participles, not appropriate forms of their verb.)
- (“swimming,” “straining” = present participles; “to reach” = an infinitive)
- (past participle = “destroyed” functioning as an adjective)
- (Prepositional phrases: “by the storm,” “with all his might”)
- His boat destroyed by the storm, swimming with all his might, the only survivor strained to reach the shore.
Sometimes fragments have a subject, a verb, and an object (if needed), but they also begin with a subordinating conjunction which leaves the reader waiting for the rest of the sentence.
Such fragments are dependent clauses, which may often be attached to a nearby sentence, before or after.
Examples:
Wherever they traveled in the luxurious tour bus bought the previous week from a famous movie star. People smiled and waved at them.
- (Conjunction = “wherever,” requires an independent clause to complete the meaning of the sentence)
- Wherever they traveled in the luxurious tour bus bought the previous week from a famous movie star, people smiled and waved at them.
My cat loves to sit with me. Frisky thinks she’s helping. Until she jumps into my lap and butts her head against my arm.
- (Conjunction = “until,” requires an independent clause to complete the meaning of the sentence)
- My cat loves to sit with me. Frisky thinks she’s helping, and she is, until she jumps into my lap and butts her head against my arm.
In fictional narrative, occasionally a fragment might be used create emphasis or to create a special atmosphere.
Remember: Know the rules before you break them!
(Italics indicate the fragments.)
- There are no insoluble problems. Only time-consuming ones (James A. Michener).
- (Only time-consuming ones: No subject, no verb in the italicized phrase)
- If there was a turning point for me, it was The Bridges at Toko-Ri. It is a very fine short novel. But it gave me very little satisfaction. Really. I decided I wasn’t going to go down that avenue (James A. Michener).
- (The title of Michener’s book is underlined because I am using italics to indicate the fragments.)
- (But it gave me very little satisfaction: dependent clause starting with “but”)
- (“Really” is an adverb, which is not a sentence on its own.)
- No pen, no ink, no table, no room, no time, no quiet, no inclination (James Joyce).
- (This has nothing but negative “no” and nouns. No verb is present at all.)
- My words in her mind: cold polished stones sinking through a quagmire (James Joyce).
- (Entire quote lacks verb. “My words” is likely the subject, equated to “cold polished stones” in the second phrase. “Sinking” is a participle, not considered a verb.”
- Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. (William Shakespeare)
- (Entire quote lacks subject and verb.)
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