Incorrect: If we have enough time this weekend we'll go to see the cherry trees in bloom. Here is an example of a sentence that looks like a fragment because it is incorrectly punctuated: When you start a sentence with a dependent clause, be sure to use a comma after the dependent clause. Note: Sometimes, a complete sentence may look like a fragment because it is missing a comma after an introductory word group.
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Check with your instructor if you need more help correcting sentence fragments. However, turning fragments into complete sentences will improve the connections between ideas. Sometimes readers can figure out the meaning of a fragment by rereading the sentences that come before and after it. Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences. One way is to attach the fragment to a complete sentence:Ĭorrected sentence: Peter left the apartment where there were mice and cockroaches.Ĭorrected sentence: I went to see "The Silver Star," a movie that inspires deep emotions.Ĭorrected sentence: Analyzing the characters' motives is central to understanding a novel.Īnother way to correct fragments is to add a complete subject, complete verb, or other words that express a complete thought:Ĭorrected sentence: This is where there were mice and cockroaches.Ĭorrected sentence: A movie that inspires deep emotions is rare.Ĭorrected sentence: Analyzing the characters' motives is important. These two groups of words cannot stand alone as complete sentences. It is missing either a subject or a verb or both.įragment: Where there were mice and cockroaches.įragment: A movie that inspires deep emotions.įragment: Analyzing the characters' motives.
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It does not express a complete thought, even though it starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark. ELL Handbook::Grammar::Sentence Errors Sentence Errors Sentence Fragments