Understanding Fragments and Phrases

Groups of words that go together are not necessarily sentences.

Objectives of this lesson:

Distinguish a fragment from a sentence when one of the following elements is missing (a) subject (b) verb (c) complete thought.

The fragment is a major problem for students. The thought may be clear in your head, but what gets put on paper is another thing.

What is a complete sentence? A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Remember that when you write in complete sentences, the results may differ from the way you would express the same ideas in everyday conversation with a friend.

Although you will occasionally spot incomplete sentences in professional writing, you may be sure the writer is using these fragments intentionally. In such cases, the fragment may be appropriate because it captures the way a person thinks or speaks or because it creates a special effect. A student developing his or her writing skills would be careful to use only standard-sentence form so that every thought will be communicated effectively. Nearly all the writing you will do in your life--business correspondence, papers in school, or reports in your job--will demand standard-sentence form. Fragments will be looked upon as a sign of ignorance rather than evidence of a creative style.

A group of words may appear to be a sentence, but if one of the following elements is missing, the result is a fragment.

• The subject is missing: Brought plans to my office.
• The verb is missing: The architect to my office.
• Both the subject and the verb are missing: To my office.
• The subject and verb are present, but the group of words does not express a complete thought: The architect brought.

This is a sentence:

Do you like the U.S. Postal Service's special postage stamps? The subject is "you" and the verb is "do like." It is a complete thought. 

This is not a sentence:

When my parents buy stamps. Yes. It has a noun that acts like a subject (parents) and it has a verb (buy). But, it is not a complete thought. This type of fragment is called a "subordinate clause." Some teachers call it a "dependent clause." It cannot stand alone because it has the word "when" at the front of it. The word "when" in this sentence is called a "subordinating conjunction."

Now, it's your turn. Is it a sentence or a sentence fragment?

1. Commemorative stamps are issued to give recognitin to someone or something special.
2. Stamps with pictures of animals or famous people.
3. A block of four different colorful stamps that commemorate Earth Day.
4. Because all four of the winning designs for the Earth Day 1995 stamps were created by young people.
5. I like "Love" stamps and holiday stamps.

Here are the answers:

1. Yes, this is a sentence.
2. No, this is not a sentence.
3. No, this is not a sentence.
4. No, this is not a sentence.
5. Yes, this is a sentence.

Remember, a sentence contains both a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

But a fragment is a group of words that lookes like a sentence but really is just part of one.