Fragments

Think of a fragment as a piece of a sentence that has broken off from its main clause and then has been punctuated as if it were a new sentence.

*Strategy: If you have trouble recognizing fragments in your own writing, try reading your draft out loud, one sentence at a time, but begin with the last sentence, then read the next-to-last sentence, and so on to the top. Without its main clause ahead of it, a fragment will sound incomplete.

A fragment is usually a kind of afterthought, a phrase or a dependent clause that elaborates on or explains something in the independent clause just ahead of it. There are two ways to fix fragments: reattach the fragment to the independent clause it modifies, or make the fragment into a new, complete sentence.

Fragments come in a variety of forms:

•  subordinate (or dependent) clauses, introduced by subordinating conjunctions (if, since, whenever, even though, unless, until, before, after, because, while, whether, although)

There was widespread support for this proposal. Because few were critical of the funding mechanism.

·  relative clauses (introduced by who or which)

Radical changes came quickly once the law was passed. Which caused a kind of backlash.

· participial phrases (introduced by an -ing or -ed verb form)

She was enthusiastic about the job. Getting to work every day at 7.

· or noun phrases (introduced by transitional phrases)

There are a lot of problems with this system. For example, the unreadable manual.

Here are examples of complete sentences:

 There was widespread support for this proposal, because few were critical of the funding mechanism.

         Radical changes came quickly once the law was passed, which caused a kind of backlash.

         She was enthusiastic about the job, getting to work every day at 7.

         There are a lot of problems with this system. For example, the manual is unreadable.