What is a fragment? – Flashcards
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What is a fragment?
A fragment is an incomplete sentence. To be complete, a sentence needs three things:
If a phrase is missing one of those things, it's a fragment. To learn more about the parts of a sentence, review our lesson on Sentences.
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A subject
A predicate
A complete thought
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Fragment
A sentence needs a subject
The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is mainly about. A group of words without a subject is a fragment.
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The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is mainly about.
A group of words without a subject is a fragment. For example, take a look at this phrase:
Went to the movies.
We know someone or something went to the movies. But we don't know who or what went. So this phrase is a fragment
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Fragment
Orders and commands (like Go clean your room! or Stand up straight!) might look like fragments, since they don't have subjects you can see.
Invisible You
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But the subject of these sentences is actually the word you. You can learn why in our lesson on Sentences.
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Fragment
A sentence needs a predicate
The predicate of a sentence shows what's going on. If a phrase doesn't have a predicate, it's a fragment.
Let's take a look at an example: My cousin Fred.
We know that Fred is the person this sentence is about, but we have no idea what he's doing. So this isn't a complete sentenceLet's take a look at an example: My cousin Fred.
We know that Fred is the person this sentence is about, but we have no idea what he's doing. So this isn't a complete sentence.
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Our examples might make it seem like all fragments are short, but that's not true.
Here's an example of a long fragment:
The girl with big hair who lives around the corner and is allergic to shellfish, peanuts, and almost any kind of ravioli.
Can you tell why that isn't a sentence?
There is no complete thought.
It has a subject and a predicate, but it's still not a complete thought.
!! A sentence needs to complete an idea !!
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Fragment - Let's look at this example:
While he was using the stapler. Is this a sentence?
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It has a subject and a predicate, but it's still not a complete thought. We don't know what happened while he was using the stapler.
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Fragment
You can recognize this kind of fragment by paying attention to the first word in the phrase.
Sometimes this word makes you think there will be more to the sentence, like the word 'while' in our example.
That tells you that you're looking at a fragment.
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While he was using the stapler. Is this a sentence?
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Here's another example of a fragment where there's some information missing:
Because I was running late to work and didn't have time to drink my usual three cups of coffee.
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Because I was running late to work and didn't have time to drink my usual three cups of coffee.
We know something happened because this person was running late and didn't drink his or her coffee. But we don't know what happened.
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Is it OK to use fragments?
We often use fragments when we speak, especially when we answer questions:
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We often use fragments when we speak, especially when we answer questions:
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Is it OK to use fragments?
It's fine to use fragments when you talk because everyone knows what you mean.
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Is it OK to use fragments?
But what about when you write? Fragments are OK in some types of writing.
Fiction writers and poets sometimes use them to make their writing sound more like people talking. Even nonfiction writers use fragments to make certain ideas stand out in their writing.
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Fragment 1
This is a fragment because it starts with the word but, but doesn't give us further information. The previous paragraph tells you that the but is referring to Walter White being a drug dealer. If you saw the sentence by itself, you wouldn't understand that.
Fragments are correct in some situations. Even professional writers use them. But fragments are usually considered incorrect in school papers, tests, and formal work e-mails or letters. In these situations, make sure to use complete sentences.
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But before he began his life of crime, Walter White was a Chemistry teacher, and chemistry is what originally made him such a great meth cook. Breaking Bad has always included alot of science talk, especially in the early days, and the time has come to see whether it holds up.
Fragments are correct in some situations. Even professional writers use them. But fragments are usually considered incorrect in school papers, tests, and formal work e-mails or letters. In these situations, make sure to use complete sentences.
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Fragment 2
This is a fragment because it starts with and, but doesn't tell us what else is going on. And what? We know because the last paragraph says someone is checking the science on Breaking Bad. But the sentence by itself doesn't tell you that.
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And by "someone", I mean "Mythbusters."
Fragments are correct in some situations. Even professional writers use them. But fragments are usually considered incorrect in school papers, tests, and formal work e-mails or letters. In these situations, make sure to use complete sentences.
