Meaning & use
sentence fragment
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A group of words written as a sentence that lacks a subject, a main verb or a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone.
Grammar: A regular countable noun: one fragment, two fragments.
Patterns
- fix a sentence fragment
- a sentence fragment beginning with something
Because the bus was late is a sentence fragment, since it does not say what happened as a result.
My teacher circled the sentence fragment and wrote a note in the margin.
Advertisers often use a sentence fragment, such as Fresh and fast, to catch attention.
Word forms
| plural | sentence fragments |
|---|
Common combinations
- avoid sentence fragments
- Try to avoid sentence fragments in your essay.
- correct a sentence fragment
- You can correct a sentence fragment by adding a main clause.
- a common sentence fragment
- A clause starting with although is a common sentence fragment.
- spot a sentence fragment
- Read your work aloud to spot a sentence fragment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incomplete sentence
- A plain description of the same thing, less technical than the grammar term.
Opposites
Word family
- fragment noun
- a small part broken off from something
- fragmentary adjective
- made up of small, incomplete parts
Commonly confused: sentence fragment or run-on sentence?
sentence fragment vs run-on sentence
A run-on sentence joins clauses without proper punctuation or linking; a fragment, by contrast, is missing something it needs.
Practice
Which of these is a sentence fragment?
Choose one answer.
Although she left early has a subject and verb but begins with although, so it leaves the thought unfinished. The other options are complete sentences.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sentence fragment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.