What is the difference between fragments and phrases

Fragments , however, do not express a complete thought. As McGraw-Hill points out:. However, their meaningfulness and grammaticality is not their own. It is borrowed from other sentences. Mom: Where are you going? Child: To the playground. Phrases , according to Grammatically Correct , are groups of related words that can contain a noun and a verb, but do not contain both a subject and a predicate. Phrases are fragments and cannot stand alone. Examples of phrases: On his way to the forum , John bumped into Sally.

John indicated which direction to go by pointing north. Filled with gratitude , Sally thanked John for his kindness. Clauses can either be independent or dependent. An independent clause can stand on its own, which means a sentence is an independent clause. Note: Dependent clauses or phrases that attempt to stand alone are considered fragments. Again, they are acceptable in conversation or in informal writing e. Anne Stilman, Grammatically Correct , 2nd ed.

Example: Wrong : Worked far into the night in an effort to salvage her little boat. The female sailor worked far into the night in an effort to salvage her little boat. She worked far into the night in an effort to salvage her little boat. Example: Wrong : Some of the students working in Professor Espinoza's lab last semester. Dependent clause A dependent clause is a clause or part of a sentence that adds additional information to a sentence but cannot stand alone as its own sentence.

The marker for this type of fragment will be the unanswered question Who? And dashed through the downpour as raindrops softened the hairspray shell holding her elaborate coif in place. But knew that all his effort would prove useless in the long run. Took the thick book and, with a heavy sigh, loaded it on top of her research pile. An appositive is a noun phrase that renames and clarifies another noun.

Because an appositive can be long, writers sometimes mistake one for a complete sentence. By itself , however, an appositive is a fragment. An appositive fragment will begin with a noun and usually include one or more clarifying phrases or even a subordinate clause after it. The unprepared student who was always begging for an extra pencil and a couple sheets of blank paper. A slacker wasting his afternoon in front of the television. A dog around whom people need to guard their fingers and food.

You can fix any fragment by either 1 revising the fragment so that it includes a main clause , or 2 connecting the fragment to a main clause that comes before or after it. To connect the fragment, you will need a basic understanding of punctuation. Learning the nine punctuation rules below will help you not only fix fragments but also punctuate many sentences correctly. When you have a subordinate clause fragment, removing one thing —the subordinating word —will give you the necessary main clause.

Removing because makes the thought complete. Chase is the subject, caught the verb. And now you have a sentence! If, however, you need the subordinating word because of the meaning it provides, then fix the fragment by connecting it. If you attach the fragment after a main clause, use Punctuation Rule 1 :. We will continue giggling until Rachel notices the toilet paper stuck to her shoe.

If you attach the fragment in front of a main clause, use Punctuation Rule 2 :. Even though Fred stuck straws up his nose , Melissa ate her tuna fish sandwich and continued to ignore him. One way to fix a participle phrase fragment is to add the necessary main clause. Notice that you are not sure what species is enjoying the warmth. If you add this information and complete the verb , the problem is fixed:. The little lizards were sunning themselves on the hot concrete until they heard human feet crashing down the sidewalk.

The majorette marched at the front of the parade , all the while twirling her batons with the speed and ferocity of helicopter blades. Sucked down the pipe with a hearty slurp , the dirty bath water drained from the tub.

You can convert an infinitive phrase fragment into a sentence by adding a subject and conjugating the verb. When you read this fragment, you do not know who is involved. With a couple of minor changes, however, you have the necessary main clause that every sentence requires:.

Amber watched in dismay as Professor Frazier poured her chemistry experiment into the sink. If you don't like that option, you can attach an infinitive phrase fragment after a main clause. Jossie enlisted the help of several spiders to catch butterflies for her biology project. To break a piece of plywood with his bare hands , Daniel followed his karate teacher's advice and focused his power.

You can fix an afterthought fragment one of two ways. One option is to insert the missing subject and verb so that you have a main clause. This option works best when you have for example and for instance as the transitions beginning the fragment.

For example, the desk drawer contained leaky pens, candy wrappers, dollar bills, and paperclips. Or you can attach the afterthought fragment to the end of a main clause. This option works best when the fragment begins with except , excluding , including , like and such as. John has many unsafe habits , such as leaving the stove on and teasing mean dogs.

One missing element—the subject —makes a lonely verb fragment an error. Who did the dashing? We do not know. The subject may have been mentioned in a sentence that came previously, but this word group is a fragment because no subject exists in it. Betty dashed through the downpour as raindrops softened the hairspray shell holding her elaborate coif in place. If you want to connect this type of fragment to a main clause in front, use Punctuation Rule 8 :.

With a heavy sigh, Darryl began counting the words of his essay but knew that all of his effort would prove useless in the long run.

Review Comma Tip 4. You have two options when fixing an appositive fragment. Since an appositive contains a noun —which can conveniently become a subject —adding a verb will often fix the problem. The unprepared student who was always begging for an extra pencil and a couple sheets of blank paper sneezed.

If you do not like sneezed , try cried , sang , protested the accusations, bit his lip, crossed his fingers, flirted with Jasmine, etc.

Another good option is to connect the appositive to a main clause. Punctuation Rule 9 says this: No matter where you attach the appositive—at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end—always use comma s to separate it from the rest of the sentence. A slacker wasting his afternoon in front of the television , Brian opened a bag of potato chips instead of his chemistry textbook.