Which statement best describes a sentence fragment?

• A. It is an incomplete sentence
• B. It is a sentence with no subject
• C. It appears as a complete thought in dialogue
• D. It is a sentence that ends with a dash

Answer: (A)

A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that cannot stand alone as a complete thought because it lacks a main clause. It might be missing a finite verb, or it could be a dependent clause or a phrase that doesn’t express a full idea on its own. For example, “Running through the park” or “Because I forgot my keys” are not complete thoughts on their own; they need more to form a full sentence.

That makes the best description of a sentence fragment simply that it is incomplete. It isn’t a full sentence because it doesn’t convey a complete idea by itself.

The other options don’t fit as defining features. A fragment can sometimes have a subject but still be missing a proper verb or complete predicate, so it isn’t solely defined by having no subject. Fragments can appear in dialogue and still be incomplete thoughts, not because they are complete thoughts, but for stylistic reasons. Ending a sentence with a dash isn’t what makes something a fragment; the dash is just punctuation and can occur in complete as well as incomplete sentences.