What is a sentence fragment?

• A. An incomplete sentence missing a subject or verb, failing to express a complete thought.
• B. A sentence that contains two independent clauses.
• C. A sentence with correct punctuation.
• D. A sentence that has more than one predicate.

Answer: (A)

A sentence fragment is an incomplete piece of writing that cannot stand alone because it misses a subject or a predicate, or it does not express a complete thought. In proper writing, a complete sentence has a clear subject and a predicate and conveys a full idea. For example, “Running to the store” lacks a subject doing the action in a proper, finite way, so it’s not a complete sentence. A sentence that contains two independent clauses is a compound sentence, which is complete when properly joined, not a fragment. A sentence with correct punctuation is simply well-formed punctuation-wise and does not, by itself, guarantee completeness. And a sentence that has more than one predicate can still be a complete sentence if it has a subject and expresses a full idea. Therefore, the fragment described is the incomplete form that misses essential parts and fails to express a complete thought.