EditFast Grammar Resource: Sentence Fragments: Definition

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Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments are phrases or dependent clauses that are erroneously used as sentences. A proper sentence must contain a subject and a verb, which, together, can be called an independent clause. An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a grammatical unit. A sentence can have more than one independent clause, but it needs at least one independent clause to be considered a sentence. Many sentence fragments are dependent clauses, which cannot stand alone.

Examples:

• The loudly crying infant in the back seat. [Fragment: no verb]
• The loudly crying infant sat in the back seat. [Sentence]
• The loudly crying infant in the back seat had a fever. [Sentence]

• Kept me from doing my homework. [Fragment:no subject]
• Softball practice kept me from doing my homework. [Sentence]

• On the rocks. [Fragment: no subject, no verb]
• The fisherman sat on the rocks. [Sentence]

• Because I haven't seen him in two days. [Fragment: dependent clause: has a subject and a verb, but cannot stand alone]
• I don't know if he's all right because I haven't seen him in two days. [Sentence]