Sentence fragments, run-on sentences and comma splices





Sentence fragments


A sentence fragment occurs when a dependent clause is treated as a complete sentence. An independent clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb and which expresses a complete thought. An independent clause is a sentence e.g.

The school board hired five new teachers this year.
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent clause cannot be a sentence e.g.
Although the school board hired five new teachers this year.
The addition of the dependent clause marker although means that something else is required to complete the sentence. e.g.
Although the school board hired five new teachers this year, the classes are still overcrowded.
Therefore, it is incorrect to write something like this:
Although the school board hired five new teachers. The classes are still overcrowded.
Other dependent clause markers are: after, when, unless, before, if, as, whether, in order to and while.