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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
How can it be wrong, if it sounds so right?<\/p>\n
One of the first things you learn about constructing sentences in English is the very narrow definition of a complete sentence<\/strong>. A sentence must consist of<\/p>\n You should always be encouraged to write proper, complete sentences at all times. Your essays and correspondence should always be formal, and follow accepted grammatical rules and procedures. There are times, however, when you may want to break the rules.<\/p>\n A sentence can have many clauses, but it must always have a main clause to be a complete sentence. Dependent clauses<\/strong> also have at least one subject and verb, but they don\u2019t have the formal structure to hold a complete thought. Instead, the independent clauses<\/strong> are implied.<\/p>\n Keisha sat down and turned on the television.<\/em><\/p>\n See? Complete sentence.<\/p>\n Those last two phrases, or rather fragments<\/strong> of phrases above, are incomplete sentences<\/strong>. In each case, the subject and verb are missing from the thought. Nevertheless, you probably understood the intent behind those fragments, and that is another example of why the English language can be a maddening beast. If the rules are so specific, why is it so easy to break them and get away with it? The answer has something to do with your mode of communication.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go back. In the first fragment, see <\/em>is used as a synonym<\/strong> for the word understand<\/em>. \u201cSee?<\/em>\u201d is then formed as a question, with the verb<\/strong> do <\/em>and the subject<\/strong> you<\/em> missing but implied. In proper and formal English, the question should be \u201cDo you see?<\/em>\u201d. However, English speakers fully understand the simple question, \u201cSee?\u201d Some similar examples would be<\/p>\n Native English speakers use fragments of sentences all the time, eliminating important words but, in the context of the order in which the sentences flow, the missing words are implied.<\/p>\n In the second case, \u201cComplete sentence.<\/em>\u201d is clearly a fragment, even though it begins with a capital letter and concludes with a period. Nevertheless, you probably understood that I was saying, \u201cThat is a complete sentence.<\/em>\u201d Again, this is an example of understanding that the missing words are implied to be there.<\/p>\n Most dependent clauses, and therefore most incomplete sentences, begin with subordinating conjunctions<\/strong>, such as if, when, whether, before, after, unless, instead, although, even, because, as,<\/em> and since<\/em>. Consider this exchange between two people:<\/p>\n \u201cStrawberry has always been my favorite ice cream flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince when?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n It would be redundant<\/strong> to repeat all the words necessary to turn those replies into complete sentences.<\/p>\n \u201cSince when has strawberry been your favorite ice cream flavor?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cStrawberry has been my favorite ice cream flavor since I was a kid.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Another example might be:<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you angry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you lied.\u201d<\/p>\n The reply \u201cBecause you lied.<\/em>\u201d looks like a complete sentence, but it isn\u2019t. A complete, and formal response would be, \u201cI\u2019m angry because you lied.\u201d However, that\u2019s not<\/u> how people talk. We speak in a natural and casual manner. And that is at the heart of why the use of incomplete sentences in English is commonly accepted.<\/p>\n Casual speech will almost always contain incomplete sentences, fragments, and dependent clauses. Playwrights and authors of fiction strive to capture authenticity in their work, and will fill pages with incomplete sentences to make their characters sound as natural as possible. If an essayist has established an informal, casual voice as a writer, such as in a blog<\/strong> or memoir<\/strong>, you may also find frequent use of incomplete sentences and fragmented phrases.<\/p>\n What all good writers need to understand, though, is that you must know the rules of formal sentence construction<\/strong> before you can appreciate the times when you can stray outside the laws of what is considered proper English.<\/p>\n\n
Fragmentation<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Subordinating Conjunctions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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