Writing Style

A sentence fragment is an error of missing sentence parts, most often a subject or a verb. Sometimes incorrect punctuation between clauses and phrases creates incomplete sentences that are known as "fragments." The best way to catch fragments is to make sure you check each sentence for subject and verb. After each sentence, you should then make sure that you have the correct punctuation before starting a new sentence.

Fragment Example - Missing Subject or Verb
Sara’s first leadership position was in public health. Won a scholarship to continue her education in Master of Arts of health science in leadership.
Correction
Sara’s first leadership position was in public health. She won a scholarship to continue her education in Master of Arts of health science in leadership.

Fragment Example – Incorrect Punctuation
Transformational leadership style increases job satisfaction; thereby reducing staff shortages.
Correction
Transformational leadership style increases job satisfaction thereby reducing staff shortages.

Tip: Microsoft Word’s Grammar Checker is good at catching fragment errors. Make sure you set your proofing options to highlight and show errors as they occur in your text. See the following for how to set up your proofing options: Link.

More Information

"The Sentence Fragment," Robin L. Simmons 

"Sentence Fragment," guidetogrammar.org (definition, examples, and quizzes)