Task 2: Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments, defined as incomplete sentences, can be a kind of common mistake students make when writing English. There are mainly two kinds of sentence fragments mistakes. The first ones are pieces of dependent sentences that are disconnected with the main clause. Usually this kind of sentence fragments mistakes are also punctuation mistakes at the same time. For example, the sentence “I don’t like this lecturer. Because he cannot explain his points clearly.” The second part of the sentence is not a complete sentence. It is merely a phrase or dependent clause. One way to correct this kind of mistakes is to remove or change the punctuation. Then the sentence becomes “I don’t like this lecturer because he cannot explain his points clearly”, which is complete and correct. Of course, there is another way of correction which is related to the second kind of sentence fragments mistakes. In the second case, fragments are usually incomplete main clause, lacking subject or main verb or both. The sentence “Toys of all kinds thrown everywhere” is a good example of this kind of sentence fragments. In this sentence, there is no main verb, therefore it is incomplete. To correct it, simply add an “are” before “thrown”. In some examples like the first one we mentioned above, both subject and main verb are missing. Therefore, we need to add both of them in order to complete the sentence. After correction, the first example should be “I don’t like this lecturer. It is because he cannot explain his points clearly.” There are now two independent sentences.

Practice exercises:

Of the three sentences in each group, select the one that is NOT a sentence fragment. 
1.  
 Mrs. Blanco gone to visit her mother at the hospital.
 Finding a parking space there is usually easy during the week.
 Driving in the city during the evening rush hour.
2.  
 To apply for a job at the new store in the mall.
 Asking the interviewer how often he would have to work on weekends.
 Shaking his new boss's hand, Tony knew he would like working there.
3.  
 By the time Frances found out how expensive the wallpapering job would be.
 After getting estimates from five contractors, she decided to do the work herself.
 Before picking out an interesting wallpaper pattern that went well with her furniture.
4.  
 Who borrowed Stefanie's car Saturday night.
 The nineteen-year-old car looked out of place next to the new models.
 Which the salesman was surprised to find in such good shape.
5.  
 While waiting for her neighbor to move the car that blocked the driveway.
 To avoid hitting the other car, Michael had to back across the corner of the lawn.
 By making sure that no one will park across the driveway again.
6.  
 Because Manuel was sure he had heard the same strange story many months ago.
 Although I will never forget how cold we were when we lost our heat last winter.
 Since Anna wasn't at the meeting, I took notes so that she wouldn't miss anything.
7.  
 When my cousin moved to Troy, New York, after he finished school.
 After he went to all the trouble of fixing up his apartment.
 While living there, he made very few friends.
8.  
 My brother has been running a charter fishing boat for five years.
 Many of his customers coming back three or four times over the summer.
 His business been so busy that he has very little time for anything else.
9.  
 In the hiding place that Carl had been using for years to get away from the noisy house.
 By the time that everyone had quieted down, my favorite television show was over.
 Before planning another family get-together at the already crowded park.
10.  
 Although I knew she might wear something outrageous, I was still shocked by her dress.
 Because she didn't want to tell where she had bought the strange outfit.
 When we finally heard that she had made the dress herself.


References:
1. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_frag.html
2. http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/fragments_add1.htm?cgi_quiz_form=1