SENTENCE STRUCTURE : SENTENCE STRUCTURE
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS : SENTENCE FRAGMENTS Is there a verb? If no, there is a sentence fragment. NOTE: “Jumping,” “jumped,” “to jump” cannot function as the verb in a sentence.
Is there a subject? If no, there is a sentence fragment.
If the text begins with a subordinating word (e.g. “although,” “when,” “while,” “before,” etc.) without an independent clause, there is a sentence fragment. 8/22/2010 2 FIRST DAY
TESTING FOR SENTENCE COMPLETENESS : TESTING FOR SENTENCE COMPLETENESS Test the following sample sentences (1 – 3) for completeness and rewrite any sentence fragments. 8/22/2010 3 FIRST DAY
SAMPLE SENTENCE No. 1 : SAMPLE SENTENCE No. 1 ORIGINAL: Friends taking turns at the rock climb, helping and joking with each other.
PROBLEM: No verb; “taking” is a present participle and cannot function as a main verb in a sentence.
REVISED: Friends took turns at the rock climb, helping and joking with each other. 8/22/2010 4 FIRST DAY
SAMPLE SENTENCE #2 : SAMPLE SENTENCE #2 ORIGINAL: The deer stopped momentarily, confused. Ran down the hall.
PROBLEM: No subject in second sentence.
REVISED: The deer stopped momentarily confused, then ran down the hall. 8/22/2010 5 FIRST DAY
SAMPLE SENTENCE #3 : SAMPLE SENTENCE #3 ORIGINAL: Mom was sitting in her chair, in the same posture as Casey. The only difference being her gaze was fixed at a point about ten feet in front of her face.
PROBLEM: No verb; “being” is substituted for a verb in the second sentence.
REVISED: …The only difference was that her gaze…. 8/22/2010 6 FIRST DAY
FRAGMENTS : FRAGMENTS A sentence fragment tries its best to be a sentence, but it just can’t make it. It’s missing something.
Often, it’s missing a verb or part of a verb string.
John working extra hard on his hook shot lately.
Here, for instance, we’re missing an auxiliary — has been, in this case, probably — that would complete the verb string and the sentence. 8/22/2010 7 FIRST DAY
LAST WORD : LAST WORD Fragments in a sentence express one part, that completes with the inclusion of verb.
Spending hours every day after school and even on weekends.
This time we’re missing a whole verb. “Spending” is a participle wanting to modify something, but there is no subject-verb relationship within the sentence 8/22/2010 8 FIRST DAY
Slide 9: Happy Learning! 8/22/2010 9 FIRST DAY