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Sentence Fragments
A complete sentence must have 3 components:
1. A subject (the person, place or thing performing the action – a noun or pronoun)
2. A predicate (explains what the subject is doing – a verb)
3. A complete thought (it has to make sense on its own)
A sentence fragment is a group of words which is punctuated like a sentence, but is lacking one (or
more) of the three components of a complete sentence.
Examples
Sentence Fragment
Came to Motlow to learn.
The student to Motlow to learn.
Since the student came to Motlow to learn.
The student came to Motlow to learn.
Missing
Missing subject
Missing verb
Incomplete thought
Complete sentence!
Common Errors
Sentence fragments can be caused by common errors. There are strategies for identifying and
correcting each type of error.
1. Error: Either subject or predicate is missing in the sentence.
 The damaged tail light.
 Enrolled in the community college.
 Strategy to Fix: Identify which part of the sentence is missing (subject or predicate); insert
an appropriate noun or verb.
 The tail light was damaged.
 Cody enrolled in the community college.
2. Error: The sentence has one or more dependent clauses, but it has no independent clause.
 After Lindsey sold her vehicle.
 The comedian, who had a very sharp wit.
 Strategy to Fix: Insert an independent clause, or convert the dependent clause to an
independent one by removing the subordinating conjunction.
 Lindsey sold her vehicle.
 The comedian, who had a very sharp wit, kept the crowd laughing all night.
3. Error: A subordinating conjunction, which is used to create a dependent clause, is instead
used to show linkages between sentences.
 Because there are few IRS auditors in the field completing manual audits.
 Though she never learned how to cook, clean, or drive a car.
 Strategy to Fix: Use a “connector” (e.g. however, therefore, also)(conjunctive adverb) to
link two separate sentences.
 Consequently, there are few IRS auditors in the field completing manual audits.
 Unfortunately, she never learned how to cook, clean, or drive a car.
*Content adapted from: Gambrill, Peter. "Sentence Fragments." Handouts. San José State University
Writing Center, Summer 2014. Web. Apr. 2015.
Created Spring 2015 by Kelley McLauchlan