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Five Ways to Correct Sentence Fragments

  1. Look for words that start dependent clauses.

    A group of words having a subject and verb is a clause. A clause is independent (able to stand alone expressing a complete idea) or dependent (does not express a complete idea by itself). A dependent clause has a subject and a clause, but it cannot stand alone and make sense. It begins with a dependent word (or words) such as these:

    after
    although
    as
    as if
    because
    before
    even if
    even though
    ever since
    how
    if
    in order to
    since
    so that
    than
    that
    unless
    until
    what
    whatever
    when
    whenever
    where
    whereas
    wherever
    whether
    which
    whichever
    while
    who
    whom
    whose
    why

    Whenever a clause begins with one of these dependent words, it is a dependent clause. For example, if we can take an independent clause such as

    We are learning about sentence fragments.

    and put one of the dependent words in front of it, becomes a dependent clause:

    Although we are learning about sentence fragments,

    Because we are learning about sentence fragments,

    Even though we are learning about sentence fragments,

    While we are learning about sentence fragments,

    As you probably noticed, these clauses do not make a complete statement. The reader expects more. Thus, they cannot stand alone. They are fragments and should not be punctuated as sentences.

  2. To turn a fragment into a complete sentence, add an independent clause to the dependent clause.

    Although we are learning about sentence fragments, several other topics must be studied, too.

    Because we are learning about sentence fragments, we may become better writers.

    Even though we are learning about sentence fragments, I'm still worried that I'll make mistakes.

    While we are learning about sentence fragments, we can take notes to study later.

     

    Remember: Every sentence must have at least one INDEPENDENT clause!

    Note: When a dependent clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma. Often the comma prevents misreading, as in the following:

    When he entered, the closet door was open.

    Without a comma after entered, the reader would read: "When he entered the closet" before realizing that wasn't what the author meant. The comma prevents misreading. Sometimes, if the dependent clause is short enough, there is no danger of misreading if the comma is omitted, but it’s safer simply to follow the rule that a comma follows a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence.

    Sometimes, the dependent clause appears in the middle of the independent clause:

    The road that was finished last month goes to Chicago.

    Sometimes the dependent clause is the subject matter of the entire sentence:

    What we are learning about sentence fragments is important. (No comma is needed after the dependent clause because it flows right into the rest of the sentence.)

    And sometimes the “that” of the dependent clause is omitted:

    This is the house that Jane built. OR This is the house Jane built.

    I thought that you were coming along. OR I thought you were coming along.

    The word “that” does not always introduce a dependent clause. It may serve as a pronoun (That is my cat.) or a describing word (I love that frog).

    PRACTICE: Experimenting with putting the dependent clause BEFORE the independent clause and vice versa:
    • Fragment: As he ran to catch the bus
      Correct:
    • Fragment: When he finally reached it
      Correct:
    • Fragment: After I finally decide where to live
      Correct:
    • Fragment: Because I had so much laundry to do
      Correct:
    • Fragment: If I won the lottery
      Correct:
    • Fragment: Although she was laughing
      Correct:

  3. Any group of words that doesn’t have a subject and a verb is a fragment.

    • Took an interest in architecture (no subject)

    • Tom washing his car (no adequate verb) Although -ing words look like verbs, no -ing word by itself can ever be the verb of a sentence. It must have a helping verb in front of it.

    • Thinking about his birthday (no subject and no adequate verb)

    You can change the fragments above into sentences by adding a subject and an adequate verb:

    • He took an interest in architecture (added a subject)

    • Tom was washing his car (added a helping verb)

    • She was thinking about his birthday (added a subject and a helping verb)

  4. Sometimes you can simply add a fragment to the beginning or the ending of the sentence.

    Incorrect: Wondering why he hadn’t come. I finally texted him.

    Correct: Wondering why he hadn’t come, I finally texted him.

    Correct: I finally texted him, wondering why he hadn’t come

  5. Or you can change a word or two in the fragment to make it into a sentence.

    Incorrect: Wondering why he hadn’t come.

    Correct: Mickey wondered why he hadn't come.

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