Sentence Practices
Biologists working to rescue the giant condor from extinction uses radio telemetry and satellite signals to track banded birds
Instructions:
Each of the Sentence Practice questions presents a sentence, part or all of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part.
The first of these repeats the original; the other three are different. Follow the requirements of standard written English to choose your answer, paying attention to grammar, word choice, and sentence construction.
Select the answer that produces the most effective sentence; your answer should make the sentence clear, exact, and free of grammatical error.
It should also minimize awkwardness, ambiguity, and redundancy.
A sentence fragment is a grammatical term used to describe an incomplete sentence in English. To understand sentence fragments in more detail, let's break down the components of a complete sentence and then discuss what makes a fragment:
Components of a Complete Sentence:
A complete sentence must have two essential components:
- Subject: The subject is the part of the sentence that performs the action or about which something is being said. It typically consists of a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea) or a pronoun.
Predicate (Verb): The predicate is the part of the sentence that tells what the subject is doing or links it to additional information. It usually includes a verb.
What Makes a Sentence Fragment:
A sentence fragment, as the name implies, is a piece of a sentence that is "fragmented" or incomplete. Here are some common reasons why a group of words might be considered a fragment:
Lack of a Subject: A fragment may be missing a subject, making it unclear who or what the sentence is about. For example:
- "Running to catch the bus." (Missing subject)
Lack of a Predicate (Verb): A fragment might be missing the action or the verb that the subject is performing. For example:
- "The cat under the table." (Missing verb)
Dependent Clauses without Independent Clauses: A fragment may be a dependent clause (a group of words that cannot stand alone) without an independent clause (a complete sentence). For example:
- "Although he was tired." (Dependent clause without an independent clause)
Incomplete Thoughts: A fragment often lacks the necessary context to express a complete thought, making it seem like there's something missing. For example:
- "Because of the storm." (The reader is left wondering what happened because of the storm.)
