![]() Sentence: We played all day at the beach. Now, let’s add a subject and a verb to the fragment: We do not know who was at the beach and we do not know what happened at the beach. In the example above, there is no subject, verb, or complete idea. A sentence fragment is missing a subject, a verb, OR a complete idea. ![]() In two weeks: Comma splices and the run-on sentence.Grammar: Identifying Sentence Fragments Sentence Fragments and Ways to Find and Fix Them Example of a Fragment and How it was Fixed.Ī fragment is a “piece” (or part) of a sentence because it is missing information to make a complete sentence. Next week: My thoughts on the hero spectrum. If your brain stutters, so will your readers’. So go forth and fragment your thoughts, but be judicious about it. But as always, too much of anything is…well, too much. I think they contribute to a more conversational, engaging tone, and they can add a lot of impact when used carefully. I love my fragments, and I use them perhaps a little too much. Use it.Įxclamations: The best example is one similar to what I used at the beginning of this article-the three nouns plus “oh my!” Almost any grammatical oddity can be forgiven within an exclamation. The point is you have freedom and flexibility within the constraints of poetry and song to play with structure. But on their own, lines two through four are fragments. Okay, technically, if you put that all together, it’s almost a complete, if somewhat unconventional, sentence. Here’s a stanza from a song I wrote for Ravenmarked: ![]() Poems and Songs: You don’t have to be a poet or a songwriter by trade to make up pieces for your fantasy, and these little interludes are perfect opportunities to play with sentence structure and rhyme. If you put fragments like those in the midst of complete sentences, and you use them sparingly, they’ll heighten tension and action without making the reader’s brain stutter. Here are a few fragments that I think you could justify using in an action sequence: Used carefully, single verbs and lone prepositional phrases can add urgency and intensity to a scene without miring it in proper structure. Rapid Action Sequences: Action sequences are a great place for prepositional phrase fragments or verb fragments. One very common use of fragments is with a question/answer exchange: People rarely speak in complete thoughts, and in the flow of conversation, fragments are common. ![]() I think it’s perfectly acceptable to use fragments in the following cases:ĭialogue: This is the ideal place for fragments, and they can improve dialogue and make it sound more realistic. I think they add punch to our writing when used appropriately and infrequently. I am the first to admit that I love fragments. “Ann cried under the oak tree” is a complete sentence. To leave it on its own creates a sentence fragment because 1) there is no verb or action, and 2) it doesn’t express a complete thought. For example, in the sentence above, “under the oak tree” is a prepositional phrase. Her tunic was stained.”Īnother common sentence fragment is the prepositional phrase left to stand alone. Take off the subordinator at the beginning and voila! You have a complete sentence: “The fairies taunted her. What do these fragments have in common? They start with subordinators. Or, a sentence can be very lengthy and contain several thoughts:Īfter the fairies taunted her all morning, and because her tunic was stained with huckleberry juice from the food fight, Ann cried under the oak tree until the sun dried the hill.Ī fragment is a dependent clause that is left to twist in the wind, lonely and without purpose or meaning: For a sentence to be complete, it must have three things:Ī subject (the actor in the sentence-a noun, proper noun, or pronoun)Ī complete thought (it makes sense on its own-it’s independent)Ī complete sentence can be as short as two words: So, because it’s useful to look at the right way first, let’s define a complete sentence. The Sentence Fragment DefinedĪ sentence fragment is, at its simplest, an incomplete sentence. When you know the rules, you can break them and strengthen your voice, style, and impact. In writing, there’s a place for everything, even poorly structured sentences. Fragments, comma splices, run-ons-oh, my!ĭid you see my sentence fragment up there? Did you notice it? Did it hurt your brain, or did it remind you of The Wizard of Oz? As an editor, I don’t mind weak sentences, but poorly structured sentences in rapid repetition will make me want to claw my eyes out. One of the most irritating writing habits for an editor to correct is poor sentence structure.
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