Explain the concept of sentence fragments.

Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack a subject, a verb, or both, and therefore do not express a complete thought. They are often the result of incomplete or incorrect sentence construction. A complete sentence should have a subject (the person or thing that performs the action) and a verb (the action or state of being).

Sentence fragments can occur when a dependent clause is used on its own without an independent clause, or when a phrase or group of words is used as a sentence without a subject or verb. For example, "Because I was tired" is a sentence fragment because it lacks an independent clause to complete the thought. Another example is "Running in the park," which is also a fragment because it lacks a subject and verb.

Sentence fragments can also be created by using certain punctuation marks incorrectly. For instance, using a colon or a dash without an independent clause following it can result in a fragment. Additionally, starting a sentence with words like "because," "although," or "when" can lead to a fragment if an independent clause is not included.

To correct sentence fragments, it is important to identify the missing subject or verb and add them to complete the thought. This can be done by combining the fragment with an independent clause or by rephrasing the fragment to make it a complete sentence. By ensuring that all sentences have a subject and a verb, we can avoid sentence fragments and communicate our ideas clearly and effectively.