sentence fragment

(noun)

An incomplete sentence; a phrase or clause that is punctuated and capitalized as a sentence but does not constitute a complete grammatical sentence. It is usually caused either by the failure to include a subject and a verb in a sentence or by beginning a sentence with a subordinate conjunction or relative pronoun.

Related Terms

Examples of sentence fragment in the following topics:

  • Components of a Sentence

    • An incomplete sentence is called a fragment.
    • Of the two examples above, the first contains a fragment: "Because it tastes delicious" is a fragment, or an incomplete thought.
    • In active-voice sentences, it is the noun or pronoun performing the action in the sentence.
    • in a sentence.
    • In a given sentence, there may be more than one of any of the five core sentence elements.

  • Sonata Form: The Recapitulation

    • A sentence is type of theme.
    • Like the period, the prototypical sentence is eight measures long and contains two four-measure phrases.
    • Continuation phrases acquire momentum that leads to the cadence that ends the sentence.
    • Notice in the diagram above that three types of cadence can end a sentence: PAC, IAC, or HC.
    • In this example, the dotted rhythm that formed one half of the basic idea in mm.1–4 is fragmented beginning with the pickup to m.5: the two-measure size established by the basic ideas in the presentation is cut into smaller fragments—here, one-measure long fragments.

  • Structure of a Sentence

  • Classification of Sentences

  • Form of Interrogative Sentences

  • Simple and Compound Sentences

  • Using Varied Sentence Lengths and Styles

    • Structural classifications for sentences include: simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.
    • A declarative sentence, or declaration, is the most common type of sentence.
    • Sentences in English can also be classified as either major sentences or minor sentences:
    • A major sentence is a regular sentence with a subject and a predicate.
    • A minor sentence is an irregular type of sentence, which does not contain a finite verb.

  • The Haymarket Affair

    • Eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy and seven were sentenced to death in the aftermath of the Haymarket Affair.
    • Degan with flying metal fragments and mortally wounding six other officers.
    • Seven were sentenced to death and one to a term of 15 years in prison.
    • The death sentences of two of the defendants were commuted by Illinois governor Richard J.

  • Characteristics of Mass Spectra

    • Also, the structure of most fragment ions is seldom known with certainty.
    • A less common fragmentation, in which an even-electron neutral fragment is lost, produces an odd-electron radical cation fragment ion.
    • Fragment ions themselves may fragment further.
    • As a rule, odd-electron ions may fragment either to odd or even-electron ions, but even-electron ions fragment only to other even-electron ions.
    • Spectrum diagrams are followed by the fragmentations leading to the chief fragment ions.

  • Ending Punctuation

    • Recall that declarative sentences make statements and imperative sentences give commands.
    • (imperative sentence)
    • (declarative sentence containing an imperative statement)
    • (declarative sentence with a direct question)
    • (declarative sentence that includes an exclamation)