College Composition / Unit 3 CMP 0051 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Sentence Fragments
Captions available
The idea
A sentence fragment is punctuated as a sentence but lacks a subject, a verb, or both, or is a dependent clause standing alone.
In practice
"Because the funding ran out." looks like a sentence but leaves the reader waiting for the main clause.
Where people slip
Most fragments are errors in academic writing, so treat any fragment as a problem unless its purpose is unmistakable.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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