Ms. Trujillo



Sentence Fragments

Fragments are incomplete sentences. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. One of the easiest ways to correct them is to remove the period between the fragment and the main clause. Other kinds of punctuation may be needed for the newly combined sentence.

Below are some examples with the fragments shown in red. Punctuation and/or words added to make corrections are highlighted in blue. Notice that the fragment is frequently a dependent clause or long phrase that follows the main clause.

• Fragment: Purdue offers many majors in engineering. Such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering. 

Possible Revision: Purdue offers many majors in engineering, such as electrical, chemical, and industrial engineering.

• Fragment: Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game. Leaving her team at a time when we needed her. 

Possible Revision: Coach Dietz exemplified this behavior by walking off the field in the middle of a game, leaving her team at a time when we needed her.

• Fragment: I need to find a new roommate. Because the one I have now isn't working out too well. 

Possible Revision: I need to find a new roommate because the one I have now isn't working out too well.

• Fragment: The current city policy on housing is incomplete as it stands. Which is why we believe the proposed amendments should be passed. 

Possible Revision: Because the current city policy on housing is incomplete as it stands, we believe the proposed amendments should be passed.

You may have noticed that newspaper and magazine journalists often use a dependent clause as a separate sentence when it follows clearly from the preceding main clause, as in the last example above. This is a conventional journalistic practice, often used for emphasis. For academic writing and other more formal writing situations, however, you should avoid such journalistic fragment sentences.

Some fragments are not clearly pieces of sentences that have been left unattached to the main clause; they are written as main clauses but lack a subject or main verb.

No main verb

• Fragment: A story with deep thoughts and emotions. 

Possible Revisions:

o Direct object: She told a story with deep thoughts and emotions.

o Appositive: Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," a story with deep thoughts and emotions, has impressed critics for decades.

• Fragment: Toys of all kinds thrown everywhere. 

Possible Revisions:

o Complete verb: Toys of all kinds were thrown everywhere.

o Direct object: They found toys of all kinds thrown everywhere.

• Fragment: A record of accomplishment beginning when you were first hired. 

Possible Revisions:

o Direct object: I've noticed a record of accomplishment beginning when you were first hired

o Main verb: A record of accomplishment began when you were first hired.

No Subject

• Fragment: With the ultimate effect of all advertising is to sell the product. 

Possible Revisions:

o Remove preposition: The ultimate effect of all advertising is to sell the product.

• Fragment: By paying too much attention to polls can make a political leader unwilling to propose innovative policies. 

Possible Revisions:

o Remove preposition: Paying too much attention to polls can make a political leader unwilling to propose innovative policies.

• Fragment: For doing freelance work for a competitor got Phil fired. 

Possible Revisions:

o Remove preposition: Doing freelance work for a competitor got Phil fired.

o Rearrange: Phil got fired for doing freelance work for a competitor.

These last three examples of fragments with no subjects are also known as mixed constructions, that is, sentences constructed out of mixed parts. They start one way (often with a long prepositional phrase) but end with a regular predicate. Usually the object of the preposition (often a gerund, as in the last two examples) is intended as the subject of the sentence, so removing the preposition at the beginning is usually the easiest way to edit such errors.

Run-ons - Comma Splices - Fused Sentences

Run-ons, comma splices, and fused sentences are all names given to compound sentences that are not punctuated correctly. The best way to avoid such errors is to punctuate compound sentences correctly by using one or the other of these rules.

1. Join the two independent clauses with one of the coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet), and use a comma before the connecting word.

• _________________________, and _________________________.

• He enjoys walking through the country, and he often goes backpacking on his vacations.

2. When you do not have a connecting word (or when you use a connecting word other than and, but, for, or nor, so, or yet between the two independent clauses) use a semicolon (;).

• __________________________;_____________________________.

• He often watched TV when there were only reruns; she preferred to read instead.

or

• __________________________; however,____________________.

• He often watched TV when there were only reruns; however, she preferred to read instead.

So, run-ons and fused sentences are terms describing two independent clauses which are joined together with no connecting word or punctuation to separate the clauses.

INCORRECT: They weren't dangerous criminals they were detectives in disguise.

CORRECT: They weren't dangerous criminals; they were detectives in disguise.

INCORRECT: I didn't know which job I wanted I was too confused to decide.

CORRECT: I didn't know which job I wanted, and I was too confused to decide.

Exercise: Sentence Fragments Exercise 1

DIRECTIONS: The sentences below appeared in papers written by students. Act as their editor, marking a C if the sentences in the group are all complete and an F if any of the sentences in the group is a fragment. Then, state why it is wrong and fix the sentence.

____ 1. Then I attended Morris Junior High. A junior high that was a bad experience.

____ 2. The scene was filled with beauty. Such as the sun sending its brilliant rays to the earth and the leaves of various shades of red, yellow, and brown moving slowly in the wind.

____ 3. He talked for fifty minutes without taking his eyes off his notes. Like other teachers in that department, he did not encourage students' questions.

____ 4. Within each group, a wide range of features to choose from. It was difficult to distinguish between them.

____ 5. A few of the less serious fellows would go into a bar for a steak dinner and a few glasses of beer. After this meal, they were ready for anything.

____ 6. It can be really embarrassing to be so emotional. Especially when you are on your first date, you feel that you should be in control.

____ 7. The magazine has a reputation for a sophisticated, prestigious, and elite group of readers. Although that is a value judgment and in circumstances not a true premise.

____ 8. In the seventh grade every young boy goes out for football. To prove to himself and his parents that he is a man.

____ 9. She opened the door and let us into her home. Not realizing at the time that we would never enter that door in her home again.

____10. As Christmas grows near, I find myself looking back into my childhood days at fun-filled times of snowball fights. To think about this makes me happy.

____11. Making up his mind quickly. Jim ordered two dozen red roses for his wife. Hoping she would accept his apology.

____12. They were all having a good time. Until one of Joe's oldest and best friends had a little too much to drink.

____13. Although it only attained a speed of about twelve miles an hour. My old rowboat with its three-horsepower motor seemed like a high-speed job to me.

____14. With my brother standing by my side, I reached for the pot handle. Tilting the pot way too much caused the boiling water to spill.

____15. The small, one-story houses are all the same size and style. With no difference except the color.

____16. Being a friend of mine like he was when we first joined the soccer team. Together we learned a lot.

Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept.

• Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV.

"Having finished" states an action but does not name the doer of that action. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. In this sentence, it is Jill. She seems logically to be the one doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier.

The following sentence has an incorrect usage:

• Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on.

"Having finished" is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don't finish assignments. Since the doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the participial phrase is said to be a dangling modifier.

Strategies for revising dangling modifiers:

1. Name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause:

• Having arrived late for practice, a written excuse was needed.

Who arrived late? This sentence says that the written excuse arrived late. To revise, decide who actually arrived late. The possible revision might look like this:

• Having arrived late for practice, the team captain needed a written excuse.

The main clause now names the person (the captain) who did the action in the modifying phrase (arrived late).

2. Change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause by naming the doer of the action in that clause:

• Without knowing his name, it was difficult to introduce him.

Who didn't know his name? This sentence says that "it" didn't know his name. To revise, decide who was trying to introduce him. The revision might look something like this:

• Because Maria did not know his name, it was difficult to introduce him.

The phrase is now a complete introductory clause; it does not modify any other part of the sentence, so is not considered "dangling."

3. Combine the phrase and main clause into one:

• To improve his results, the experiment was done again.

Who wanted to improve results? This sentence says that the experiment was trying to improve its own results. To revise, combine the phrase and the main clause into one sentence. The revision might look something like this:

• He improved his results by doing the experiment again.

More examples of dangling modifiers and their revisions:

INCORRECT: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.

REVISED: After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.

INCORRECT: Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, your home should be a place to relax.

REVISED: Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, you should be able to relax at home.

INCORRECT: The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully.

REVISED: They failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual carefully.

Exercise: Modifier exercise

DIRECTIONS: The following sentences contain either dangling or misplaced modifiers. Revise the sentences.

1. Running for the bus, the rain started coming down in buckets and I got all wet.

2. The couch was kind of ugly in the furniture store.

3. Having searched and searched for Mr. Right, it started to seem like he didn’t exist.

Parallel Structure

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or."

Words and Phrases

With the -ing form (gerund) of words:

• Parallel:

Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling.

With infinitive phrases:

• Parallel:

Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.

OR

Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.

(Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)

Do not mix forms.

Example 1

Not Parallel: 

Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.

Parallel: 

Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.

Example 2

Not Parallel: 

The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.

Parallel: 

The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Example 3

Not Parallel: 

The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.

Parallel: 

The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.

Clauses

A parallel structure that begins with clauses must keep on with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism.

Example 1

Not Parallel: 

The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game.

Parallel: 

The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game.

— or —

Parallel: 

The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, not eat too much, and do some warm-up exercises before the game.

Example 2

Not Parallel: 

The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers. (passive)

Parallel: 

The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that prospective buyers would ask him questions.

Lists After a Colon

Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same form.

Example 1

Not Parallel: 

The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.

Parallel: 

The dictionary can be used to find these: word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and irregular verbs.

Exercise: Parallel Structure Exercise

DIRECTIONS: Revise each of the following sentences for parallel structure.

1. The best music is loud, fun, and you can dance to it.

2. Tomorrow afternoon I will shop for groceries, eat lunch with my brother, and be running all sorts of errands.

3. That book we read for class was really long, wordy, and didn’t make any sense.

AGREEMENT AND SHIFTS

Verbs: Avoid shifting tenses and using verbs that don’t agree with the subject.

• Shift/Agreement: Bicycling is growing more and more popular as more people had taken to the road in

order to avoid fuel costs.

o Correct: Bicycling is growing more and more popular as more people are taking to the road…

• Subject-verb agreement: Neither one of the students have stepped up and admitted guilt.

o Correct: Neither one of the students has stepped up and admitted guilt.

Pronouns: Avoid shifts in pronouns and ambiguous pronouns. Pronouns should agree with their antecedent in person and number.

• Shift/Agreement: If a person wants to succeed, you must work hard.

o Correct: If a person wants to succeed, s/he must work hard.

• Ambiguous: Cheryl and Olivia dropped the backpack off at her house.

o Correct: Cheryl and Olivia dropped the backpack off at Olivia’s house.

Exercise: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

DIRECTIONS: Circle the subject. Then, choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.

1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.

2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.

3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.

4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.

5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.

6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.

7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.

8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.

9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.

10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.

11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.

12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.

13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.

14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?

15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's favorite subject.

16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.

17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?

18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.

19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!

20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.

21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.

22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.

23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Exercise: Pronouns

DIRECTIONS: Take a look at the following sentences, identify the pronoun problems in each, and fix them. 

1. When a homemaker has three children, her life can be extraordinarily busy.

2. I am working on a major chemistry project during the spring semester.  He will spend every Saturday

in the lab.

3. Donnie and Alexander are checking over the tax forms.  He will sign the forms when they are ready. 

4. Perfecting your resume and writing a cover letter are two of the most challenging parts of applying for a job.  When you are doing it, it’s best to think about exactly what the prospective employer needs.

5. Paper and toner are two of the biggest expenses for this office.  It needs to be improved.

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