CC0040

academic English
workshops
2009-2010
Session 4–
Fragments
Wience Lai
ccwience@hkcc-polyu.edu.hk
3746-0170
HHB 1630
 Part A: Diagnostic Test

• Identify and underline the

sentence fragments
(incomplete sentences) in the
following passage. Then,
correct the sentence errors in
the space between the lines.
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 Part B:
Grammatical principles -
Review
Complete Sentences
Phrases
Clauses
Sentence fragments
 Complete Sentence
• A complete sentence consists of three
components:
(a) a subject,
(b) a main verb, and
(c) a complete thought.

• A complete sentence can be very short as

long as it has all the above components:
Example: John came.

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 Phrase
• A phrase is a sequence of two or
more words that cannot stand alone
as a complete sentence but only as a
unit in one sentence.
Example: A presentation with
interesting points.

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 Clause
• A clause contains a subject and a main
verb.
• An independent clause is a complete
sentence.
Example: Emily studied in the library.
• A dependent clause is a group of words
that contains a subject and a verb and
begins with subordinating conjunctions
like if, before, although, etc.
Example: After she had finished all her
classes.
Any more examples of subordinating 9
 Subordinating
Conjunctions/ Dependent
Words
(Langan, 2008, p.304)
after if, even if when, whenever

although, though in order that where, wherever

as since whether

because that, so that which, whichever

before unless while

even though until who

how what, whatever whose

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 Sentence Fragments

• A sentence fragment is an
incomplete sentence, lacking a
subject, a verb, or a complete
thought.

• A phrase and a dependent clause

are sentence fragments.

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 Sentence Fragments
• To convert a phrase into a sentence, we
may need to add a subject or verb.
Example: A presentation with interesting
points.  A sentence fragment
Revision: She delivered a presentation with
interesting points.

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• To change a dependent clause into a
sentence, we have to complete its
meaning.
Example: After she had finished all
her classes.  A sentence
fragment
Revision: After she had finished all
her classes, Emily studied in the
library.
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Part C: Concept Boosting
Exercises
Exercise C1: Identify and
underline the sentence
fragments (incomplete
sentences) in the following
passage. Then, correct the
sentence errors in the space
between the lines.

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Part C: Concept Boosting
Exercises
Exercise C2: Identify and
underline the sentence
fragments (incomplete
sentences) in the following
passage. Then, correct the
sentence errors in the space
between the lines.

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