Sentence Fragments and Complete Sentences

Sentence Fragments

• A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks either a subject or a predicate, making it unclear or nonsensical.
• A sentence must have both a subject and a predicate to be complete.

Identifying Subjects

• The subject of a sentence is the person or thing the sentence is about.
• To identify the subject, ask "who or what is the sentence about?"
• Examples:
  • In "The puppy trotted proudly up the street," the subject is "puppy."
  • In "The children played kickball during recess," the subject is "children."

Hidden Subjects

• In imperative sentences (commands), the subject may not be explicit but is implied as "you."
• Examples:
  • In "Be sure to lock the doors when you leave the house," the subject is implied "you."
  • In "Did you sleep in a tent on your camping trip?", the subject can be revealed by converting the question to a statement: "You did sleep in a tent on your camping trip."

Simple Predicates

• The simple predicate is the verb or verb phrase in the sentence that describes the action of the subject.
• Examples:
  • In "The baby hit her crib mobile," the simple predicate is "hit."
  • In "Airplanes soar high above the clouds," the simple predicate is "soar."