Fragments and Dependent Clauses

Fragments

Fragments are sentences that are not complete or cannot stand alone. They can occur when the subject or the main verb in a sentence is missing OR when the sentence begins with a word that forces it to be dependent on another sentence to complete its meaning (dependent clause).

Complete sentence/independent clause = SUBJECT + VERB.

Missing Subject

When a sentence is missing a subject (the WHO or WHAT), it is considered a fragment and cannot stand alone.
Example:

  • Wrong: Worked far into the night in an effort to salvage her little boat. -> In this example, we are missing the subject (Who or what is working into the night).
  • 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.

Missing Verb

When a sentence is missing a verb (the ACTION or WHAT HAPPENED), it is considered a fragment and cannot stand alone.

Example:

  • Wrong: Some of the students working in Professor Espinoza's lab last semester. -> In this example, we don鈥檛 know what happened in Professor E鈥檚 lab, so we are missing the Verb.
  • Some of the students working in Professor Espinoza鈥檚 lab last semester broke some very expensive materials.
  • Some of the students working in Professor Espinoza鈥檚 lab last semester went to medical school

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.

Complete sentence = Dependent clause, independent clause.
OR
Complete sentence = Independent clause, dependent clause.

Example 1:

  • Wrong:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;While I was asleep.
  • Wrong:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;While I was asleep the cat knocked over the plant.

-> In both of these examples, the dependent clause is 鈥渨hile I was asleep.鈥� It adds information to sentence, but it cannot stand alone because there is no subject (the cat) or a verb (knocked). In the first example, we need to add the subject and the verb (the WHO and the WHAT), and in the second example, we need a comma to separate the dependent clause from the independent clause.

 

  • While I was asleep, the cat knocked over the plant.

Example 2:

  • Wrong:鈥�&苍产蝉辫;A helium nucleus has two protons whereas hydrogen has only one.

-> In this example, the independent clause comes at the beginning of the sentence, and the added information/dependent clause comes towards the end. We still need a comma to separate the dependent clause from the independent clause.

 

  • A helium nucleus has two protons, whereas hydrogen has only one.

Transition words and Phrases

HINT: Here are some examples of words that are commonly found in dependent clauses and introductory phrases (see example 1) OR used on their own as an introductory word, also known as transition words. 

 

 

Agreement/Addition/Similarity

in the first place again moreover
not only ...but also to as well as
as a matter of fact and together with
in like manner also of course
in addition then likewise
coupled with equally comparatively
in the same fashion/way identically correspondingly
first, second, third uniquely similarly
in the light of like furthermore
not to mention as additionally
to say nothing of too  
equally important    
by the same token    

Conclusion/Summary/Restatement    

as can be seen after all overall
generally speaking in fact ordinarily
in the final analysis in summary usually
all things considered in conclusion by and large
as shown above in short to sum up
in the long run in brief on the whole
given these points in essence in any event
as has been noted to summarize in either case
in a word on balance all in all
for the most part altogether