Question

21.a correcting sentence fragments • practice 2
exercise 1 recognizing sentence fragments. each of the following word groups is either a sentence or a fragment. write f if it is a fragment and s if it is a complete sentence. if it is a fragment, write a complete sentence using the fragment.
example: firefighters climbing ladders. _f_
firefighters climbing ladders reached the top of the building.

1. near the new traffic light. _ _
2. a car jumping the curb. _ _
3. the motor turned over. _ _
4. tried all day to contact them. _ _
5. since she speaks spanish well. _ _
6. the roof of the old auditorium. _ _
7. everyone accepted the decision. _ _
8. at the bottom of the well. _ _
9. finished my shopping for the holidays. _ _
10. unless they answer by tomorrow. _ _
11. the bicycle in front of the store. _ _
12. the governor standing on the new platform. _ _
13. the man suffering from the heat. _ _
14. in hot weather a cold drink often helps. _ _
15. completed the project in an hour. _ _

Explanation:

1. "Near the new traffic light." is a fragment as it lacks a subject - verb combination. A complete sentence could be "The store is near the new traffic light."
2. "A car jumping the curb." is a fragment. It can be made into "A car jumping the curb caused a commotion."
3. "The motor turned over." is a complete sentence as it has a subject "the motor" and a verb "turned over".
4. "Tried all day to contact them." is a fragment as it is missing a subject. It could be "I tried all day to contact them."
5. "Since she speaks Spanish well." is a fragment, a dependent clause. A complete sentence could be "Since she speaks Spanish well, she got the translation job."
6. "The roof of the old auditorium." is a fragment, just a noun - phrase. It can be "The roof of the old auditorium needs repair."
7. "Everyone accepted the decision." is a complete sentence with subject "everyone" and verb "accepted".
8. "At the bottom of the well." is a fragment. It could form part of "The bucket is at the bottom of the well."
9. "Finished my shopping for the holidays." is a fragment lacking a subject. It could be "I finished my shopping for the holidays."
10. "Unless they answer by tomorrow." is a fragment, a dependent clause. A complete sentence could be "We will proceed unless they answer by tomorrow."
11. "The bicycle in front of the store." is a fragment, a noun - phrase. It can be "The bicycle in front of the store is mine."
12. "The governor standing on the new platform." is a fragment. It could be "The governor standing on the new platform made a speech."
13. "The man suffering from the heat." is a fragment. It could be "The man suffering from the heat sat in the shade."
14. "In hot weather a cold drink often helps." is a complete sentence with subject "a cold drink" and verb "helps".
15. "Completed the project in an hour." is a fragment lacking a subject. It could be "He completed the project in an hour."

Answer:

1. F; The store is near the new traffic light.
2. F; A car jumping the curb caused a commotion.
3. S
4. F; I tried all day to contact them.
5. F; Since she speaks Spanish well, she got the translation job.
6. F; The roof of the old auditorium needs repair.
7. S
8. F; The bucket is at the bottom of the well.
9. F; I finished my shopping for the holidays.
10. F; We will proceed unless they answer by tomorrow.
11. F; The bicycle in front of the store is mine.
12. F; The governor standing on the new platform made a speech.
13. F; The man suffering from the heat sat in the shade.
14. S
15. F; He completed the project in an hour.