Sentence Structure Questions Long
Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack either a subject, a verb, or both. They can occur due to various reasons, such as missing subject or verb, dependent clauses used as standalone sentences, or phrases without a subject or verb. There are several types of sentence fragments, each requiring a specific correction method.
1. Missing Subject: A sentence fragment without a subject can be corrected by adding a subject. For example:
Fragment: "Running through the park."
Correction: "She was running through the park."
2. Missing Verb: A sentence fragment without a verb can be corrected by adding a verb. For example:
Fragment: "The beautiful sunset."
Correction: "We watched the beautiful sunset."
3. Dependent Clause: A dependent clause used as a standalone sentence creates a fragment. It can be corrected by attaching it to an independent clause. For example:
Fragment: "Although she was tired."
Correction: "Although she was tired, she continued working."
4. Phrase without Subject or Verb: A phrase lacking both a subject and a verb can be corrected by adding either or both. For example:
Fragment: "In the morning, before sunrise."
Correction: "In the morning, before sunrise, birds chirp."
5. Subordinate Clause: A subordinate clause used alone creates a fragment. It can be corrected by connecting it to an independent clause. For example:
Fragment: "Because I was late."
Correction: "Because I was late, I missed the bus."
6. Appositive Phrase: An appositive phrase used as a standalone sentence creates a fragment. It can be corrected by incorporating it into a complete sentence. For example:
Fragment: "My best friend, a talented musician."
Correction: "My best friend, a talented musician, played the piano."
To correct sentence fragments, it is essential to identify the missing subject or verb and then add them accordingly. Additionally, connecting fragments to independent clauses or incorporating them into complete sentences helps to create grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.