A sentence must contain a subject and a verb, and it must be able to stand on its own and make sense.
Bob ate the cookie.
This is a sentence. “Bob” is the subject and “ate” is the verb. “Cookie” is the direct object, but it is not required for the sentence to stand on its own; “Bob ate” is a perfectly acceptable sentence.
A fragment contains elements of a sentence, but it is not able to stand on its own and make sense.
Because Bob ate the cookie.
This is a fragment. While this clause contains a subject (”Bob”) and a verb (”ate”), it cannot stand on its own because it does not form a complete thought. The subordinating conjunction “because” that introduces the clause needs to be balanced by a reason. Another clause that contains a subject and a verb and that can stand alone should provide this explanation.
Because Bob ate the cookie, he was no longer hungry.
This is a sentence. The clause “he was no longer hungry” contains a subject (”he”) and a verb (”was”). It can stand on its own and make sense. In this context, it provides a reason that balances the “because” of the original fragment.
While Bob ate the cookie.
This is a fragment. It contains a subject (”Bob”) and a verb (”ate”), but it cannot stand on its own and make sense. “While” sets up a need for a clause that contains a subject and a verb that can stand on its own and explain what happened at a particular point in time.
I ate the cake while Bob ate the cookie.
This is a sentence. The clause “I ate the cake” contains a subject (”I”) and a verb (”ate”). It can stand on its own and make sense. In this context, it explains what happened at the time introduced by the dependent clause “while Bob ate the cookie.”
The cookie that Bob ate.
This is a fragment. It contains a subject (”Bob”) and a verb (”ate”), but these are part of the clause that describes “cookie.” This fragment does not contain a subject and a verb that can stand alone and make sense. “The cookie” can be a subject, but it requires a verb to make a sentence. “The cookie” can be an object, but it requires a subject and a verb to make a sentence.
The cookie that Bob ate was chocolate chip.
This is a sentence. It contains a subject (”the cookie”) and a verb (”was”) and it can stand alone and make sense.
I baked the cookie that Bob ate.
This is a sentence. It contains a subject (”I”) and a verb (”baked”), and the former fragment (”the cookie that Bob ate”) is now a direct object.
- Read Grammar Examples of fragments.
- Take this interactive quiz to test your ability to identify fragments.
