YOU COMPLETE ME! Finding and fixing fragmented thoughts and ideas in our writing. (March Blog)

A puzzle that is missing just enough important pieces so that you cannot quite make out a picture.  A film with no sound.  A wink without a smile.  A street with no name.  

Each description above refers to something that is, sadly, incomplete.  They are, also, in and of themselves incomplete thoughts; they do not quite fit the definition of a complete sentence.  They are the pet peeve of English teachers everywhere--grammatical garble--fractional phrases.  

They are (cue the doomsday music) sentence fragments. 

No one escapes any high school Language and Literature course without being penalized for writing the odd sentence fragment, but not everyone remembers what they are and how to fix them.  A sentence fragment is a group of words that rudely resembles a sentence.  It will start with a capital letter and end with a period; however, it is neither an independent clause nor a complete idea.  A sentence fragment can be very confusing for the reader, so usually, the best thing to do is to fix it by adding what is missing from the sentence or joining it to another sentence. 

Here is a glaring example of a sentence fragment:  Because of the rain.    This is not a complete thought on its own.  We, the readers, are left to scratch our heads and wonder, because of the rain....what?  To complete it, we need more explanation:  Because of the rain, the party was canceled.  Now, our fragment, a dependent clause, has successfully attached to a sentence that has a subject (the party) AND a verb (was canceled).  Our idea is complete.

So...is fixing a fragment just making a sentence a little longer by adding details?  Let's take a look at this famous sentence from the Bible:  Jesus wept.  It is famously known as the shortest verse in the Bible, but it is, in fact, a complete sentence.  It offers a subject (Jesus) and a verb (wept).  

Learning to identify, fix, and avoid sentence fragments not only makes your writing easier to read, but it can also make you sound more intelligent and polished as a writer AND earn you higher marks on Criterion D in most of your IB assessments.  

So...how do we go about fixing a fragment?  Fixing a sentence fragment involves one of two things: giving it the components it lacks or fastening it onto an independent clause (complete idea). Consider the following example:  There are many ways to frighten little brothers and sisters.  For example, by hiding under their beds and waiting for dark. 

While this might offer some stealthy ideas, the second statement is NOT a complete sentence.  It is lacking a SUBJECT:  by hiding under their beds and waiting for dark is not a verb or a predicate.  It is actually a prepositional phrase.  Here are two ways you can go about fixing this fragment:

There are many ways to frighten little brothers and sisters; for example, by hiding under their beds and waiting for dark.

Too formal?  No problem.  Try this instead:  

There are many ways to frighten little brothers and sisters.  For example, you could hide under their beds and wait for dark.  

Bingo!  In both cases, you now have a structurally sound sentence:  you have completed them.

Without exception, you should avoid sentence fragments in formal and academic situations, including your HL essay, Paper 1, Paper 2, and any other writing assessment.  That said, a fragment intentionally placed within a clear context can sometimes serve a valid dramatic purpose.  Journalists, bloggers, and fiction writers often use them.  Here is an example:

No one thought that Ethan could make the jump; it was just too high.  All the same, he was determined to astound us.  No matter what.  

And he did.

No matter what is a sentence fragment.  And he did is a sentence beginning with a conjunction, AND it is a one-sentence paragraph.  But if you are writing a story, a few fragments might actually suit your purpose or style well.

REALIZE YOUR TEXT TYPE.  KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.  KNOW YOUR PURPOSE.  Figure out exactly what it is you are trying to say and how you wish to communicate it, and, of course, to whom.  But make sure that, regardless, you recognize sentence fragments and realize how to complete them.  Then, if and when you discover an appropriate moment to break these rules...

You'll know why.

Now that you are aware of this common problem in IB writing, I hope you will be more mindful of it.  Respond to this blog by correcting the five fragments below and then commenting on what you are hoping to polish in your writing by the end of this year.    

As you go forth into the grand finale of our time together this year (and seniors, as you prepare for exams!), may ALL of your thoughts, ideas, plans, and sentences be complete!  

1. Slammed the door and left.

2. The birch trees with their buttery yellow leaves.

3. Because it was raining.

4. Although she never realized the difference.

5. Required a better reason.