Humanities › English Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments Sentence Diagnostic Test #1 Print English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By Richard Nordquist Richard Nordquist English and Rhetoric Professor Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester B.A., English, State University of New York Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 08, 2018 This exercise will give you practice in identifying and correcting sentence fragments. You may find it helpful to review the examples and observations at the glossary entry for Fragments. InstructionsFor each item below, write correct if the word group in italics is a complete sentence; write fragment if the italicized word group is not a complete sentence. Read More Practice in Correcting Needless Sentence Fragments By Richard Nordquist Correct each fragment either by attaching it to the sentence alongside it or adding the words needed to complete the idea. When you are done, compare your responses with the suggested answers on page two. When you are worried, talk things over with someone who cares. Don't keep your troubles bottled up inside. Using a paper clip to pick the lock. Archie broke into the storeroom.Wild animals do not make good household pets. A wombat, for instance, may claw up your carpet looking for roots. After several delays throughout the afternoon. The game was finally canceled because of rain.Some sports are much more popular outside the U.S. Soccer and rugby, for example. While walking home, I noticed a stranger following me in the shadows. He was wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chainsaw.Jason stood in the doorway. His eyes blinking nervously, his fingers tapping on the frame. Two weeks at summer camp and a week at Maggie's farm. I was ready to go back to school.Katie works at the college snack bar. Every weekend and on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Before we entered the house, Holly peeked through a window. No one appeared to be home.Many common foods contain large amounts of sugar. Such as ketchup and hamburger buns. Raising the window so that I could clean the outside panes. I strained my back.Fred ran across the rain-soaked lawn. His shirttail flapping in the breeze. Whenever you get the urge to sing. Please stifle that urge. When the band played "Somebody That I Used to Know," I began to cry. It reminded me of you. Below are suggested answers to the exercise on page one: Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments. Correct FragmentUsing a paper clip to pick the lock, Archie broke into the storeroom. Correct FragmentAfter several delays throughout the afternoon, the game was finally canceled because of rain. FragmentSome sports--soccer and rugby, for example--are much more popular outside the U.S. Correct FragmentJason stood in the doorway, his eyes blinking nervously, his fingers tapping on the frame. FragmentAfter two weeks at summer camp and a week at Maggie's farm, I was ready to go back to school. FragmentKatie works at the college snack bar every weekend and on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Correct FragmentMany common foods, such as ketchup and hamburger buns, contain large amounts of sugar. FragmentRaising the window so that I could clean the outside panes, I strained my back. FragmentFred ran across the rain-soaked lawn, his shirttail flapping in the breeze. FragmentWhenever you get the urge to sing, please stifle that urge. Correct Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Nordquist, Richard. "Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments." ThoughtCo, Jan. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/identifying-and-correcting-sentence-fragments-1690975. Nordquist, Richard. (2020, January 29). Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/identifying-and-correcting-sentence-fragments-1690975 Nordquist, Richard. "Identifying and Correcting Sentence Fragments." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/identifying-and-correcting-sentence-fragments-1690975 (accessed April 24, 2024). copy citation