fun with fragments exploring sentences and sentence fragments
TRANSCRIPT
FUN WITH
FRAGMENTSExploring
Sentences and Sentence Fragments
A SENTENCE IS A GROUP OF WORDS THAT EXPRESSES A COMPLETE THOUGHT.
A SENTENCE CONTAINS A SUBJECT AND A VERB.
DAN ATTENDED THE PEP RALLY BEFORE THE FOOTBALL GAME.
SOMETIMES PART OF THE SENTENCE MAY BE MISSING.
• Three little girls in the front row What’s missing?
• Ran behind the blue couch What’s missing?
• In the attic at the top of the stairs What’s missing?
WHEN A GROUP OF WORDS FAILS TO TELL US• Who or what did something (the
subject),
• What happened (the verb),
• Or both (the subject and the verb),
we have what is known as a sentence fragment.
• A sentence fragment is only a PIECE of a sentence.
• It does NOT express a complete thought.
Let’s correct these sentence
fragments!
Sat behind me in science class
What’s missing?
YES, WE NEED A SUBJECT.
The new girl sat behind me in science class.
The bag of groceries on the kitchen table
What’s missing?
YES, WE NEED A VERB.
The bag of groceries on the
kitchen table goes to Grandmother's
house.
After the rain stopped
What’s missing?
YES, WE NEED A SUBJECT AND A VERB.
After the rain stopped, the children ran
outside to play.
Remember,A sentence must tell you all you need to
know to have a complete thought.
Watch out for sentence fragments!
SENTENCE OR
FRAGMENT?
The book Johnny Tremain is historical fiction.
The book Johnny Tremain is historical fiction.
We have a subject and predicate, so this is a sentence.
A Newbery Medal winner.
A Newbery Medal winner.
This is only a subject. There is no predicate.
This is a fragment.
Esther Forbes’s nonfiction book on Paul Revere won a Pulitzer
Prize.
Esther Forbes’s nonfiction book on Paul Revere won a Pulitzer
Prize.
We have a subject and predicate, so this is a sentence.
The silversmith Paul Revere.
The silversmith Paul Revere.
What about him?This is only a subject, so it is a fragment.
Offered Johnny a job.
Offered Johnny a job.
Who offered Johnny a job?There is only a predicate, so this is a
fragment.
Johnny liked his work.
Johnny liked his work.
We have both a subject and a predicate, so this is a sentence.
Made things of silver.
Made things of silver.
Who made things of silver?This is only a predicate, so this is a fragment.
Johnny burned his hand.
Johnny burned his hand.
We have both a subject and a predicate, so this is a sentence.
A terrible accident.
A terrible accident.
What about the terrible accident?
This is only a subject, so this is a fragment.
An operation made his hand well again.
An operation made his hand well again.
We have both a subject and a predicate, so this is a sentence.
THE END