FRAGMENTS

Fragments do not easily stand out when read with other sentences. Notice how the fragment in the
following example seems to hide because it fits so nicely with the surrounding sentences.

Identify fragments by looking at each sentence individually, and ask if it makes sense on its own.

1. Anorexia, a growing problem among teens, is a type of eating disorder.

2. Where people starve themselves for fear of becoming overweight.
3. Learning about this problem is the first step in preventing it.

Notice how the second “sentence” does not form a complete thought because of the word “where.”

The most common way to fix a fragment is to combine it with the sentence that comes before or after.

Anorexia, a growing problem among teens, is a type of eating disorder where people starve
themselves for fear of becoming overweight.

Another way to identify fragments is to apply the “random person” test. If you were to go up to a
random person and state the supposed “sentence” alone, would you have said something complete and
self-contained? Would the person completely understand you? Let’s say we are suspicious of the
following “sentences” and want to see if one is a fragment:

I eat a lot of chocolate. Whenever I am nervous or bored.

Imagine going up to a random person and saying, “I eat a lot of chocolate.” Does that make sense? Has
something complete been communicated? Yes, it makes sense standing alone. Now imagine you go up
and say, “Whenever I am nervous or bored.” Have you uttered a complete thought? Could the random
person make sense of what you just said? No. This is a fragment. Again, this fragment is fixed by simply
combining it with the previous sentence.

I eat a lot of chocolate whenever I am nervous or bored.

Note: When you apply this test, remember that pronouns can sometimes make it seem like a thought is
not complete. For example: “It eats it.” This is a complete sentence because it contains a subject, verb,
and expresses a complete thought. Out of context, we don’t know what “it” is, but a pronoun functions
as a subject because it is replacing a noun.

COMMON PROBLEM AREAS

Fragments are really just “chunks” of sentences that have broken off from the main sentence. A few
types of sentences seem to tempt writers to make fragments.

“Add-on” phrases – phrases tagged on to the end of a sentence that require a comma, not a period.
Fragment: I love reading good books. Especially when I am not assigned to read them.
Corrected: I love reading good books, especially when I am not assigned to read them.

RUN-ON SENTENCES
It results when two sentences are joined without correct punctuation.
 Comma Splice Run-ons
When two independent sentences are separated by a comma instead of a period, the result is called a
comma splice.
Incorrect: Swimming is good exercise, I do it every morning.
Incorrect: I still haven’t figured out Spanish, I’ve been studying it for years.
Incorrect: I have been waiting here for one hour, I’m going home.

FIX OPTION #1: Join the independent clauses with coordinating conjunction (also called FANBOYS
conjunction: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). A comma should be placed before the FANBOYS
conjunction.

Correct: Swimming is good exercise, so I do it every morning.

Correct: I still haven’t figured out Spanish, and I’ve been studying it for years.
Correct: I have been waiting here for one hour, so I’m going home.

FIX OPTION #2: Separate the sentences with a period.

Correct: Swimming is good exercise. I do it every morning.
Correct: I still haven’t figured out Spanish. I’ve been studying it for years.
Correct: I have been waiting here for one hour. I’m going home.

FIX OPTION #3: Use a semicolon to separate the two sentences. A semicolon acts in the same way as a
period in that it separates two complete sentences, but it indicates a close relationship between the
sentences.
Correct: Swimming is good exercise; I do it every morning.
Correct: I still haven’t figured out Spanish; I’ve been studying it for years.
Correct: I have been waiting here for one hour; I’m going home.

 Fused Sentence Run-ons - Sometimes two independent sentences are run together without
punctuation or a conjunction. These are called fused sentences. You can fix fused sentences using
the same options described in the “comma splices” section above.

Incorrect: I hope to see a movie this weekend there is a new one in the dollar theater.

FIX OPTION #1: Add a conjunction to join the sentences. (In this example the conjunction does not
need a comma because it is a subordinating conjunction.)

Correct: I hope to see a movie this weekend because there is a new one in the dollar theater.

FIX OPTION #2: Separate the sentences with a period.

Correct: I hope to see a movie this weekend. There is a new one in the dollar theater.

FIX OPTION #3: Use a semicolon to indicate a close relationship between the two sentences.

Correct: I hope to see a movie this weekend; there is a new one in the dollar theater.

COMMAS
 FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, SO (coordinating conjunctions)
When two independent clauses are joined by a FANBOYS conjunction should include a comma before
the conjunction.
For example,
Incorrect: Yesterday was my birthday but we are celebrating it this weekend.
Correct: Yesterday was my birthday, but we are celebrating it this weekend.

*If what follows the conjunction cannot stand alone as a sentence, then no comma is necessary.
* If the two independent clauses joined by the conjunction are very short, then the comma can be
omitted.
 Dependent Clauses
When a sentence begins with a dependent clause, use a comma to separate it from the independent
clause (the rest of the sentence).
The words in the table (subordinating conjunctions) are common indicators of a dependent clause:

If Whenever Unless
When Before Until
Although After Whatever
As Since While