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Fragment definition grammar8/17/2023 ![]() ![]() Productions appear here in the same order in which they appear in the specification. The meaning of “No!” is clearly decodable without additional words. This annex contains the grammar productions found in the specification, including the optional ones for unsafe code. Sentence structure exists so we can uniformly decode the meaning of a sentence. There are reasons for exceptions to rules and they often fall into the realm of, “I don’t have the rest of my life to try and incorporate every exception as a rule, so, please, accept that some exceptions will exist!” To suggest that “No” on its own is not a complete sentence is to create within the speaker a requirement that they must provide a reason for the response. Our language serves a purpose and that is to share a meaning with others. It was enough that I understood who she was and how she graded. No, I did not return to that teacher to argue the case. ![]() Turns out all it took to be a word was that it convey the same meaning to two of more people. Contained within its pages were two thigs: Not long afterward I visited the dictionary in the university library, which was about a foot thick. ![]() Fair enough, it wasn’t in my little Webster’s abridged dictionary. I discussed this with the teacher and was given the explanation that if I couldn’t find it in the dictionary, then it wasn’t a word. I remember back in college when I wrote an essay for English Comp class and had points taken off because I made up a word. The first two are sentences the third isn’t. Here are few examples to draw the distinction between a complete sentence, its elliptical form, and a fragment. Elliptical sentences result from removing repetitive parts of sentences such as noun, verb, or verb along with its complement – and not the entire sentence. The missing words are implied.Ĭoming back to No, an argument given in support of No as a sentence is that it is an elliptical form of sentence, and hence is a sentence.ĭid you see my mobile? No, I didn’t see your mobile.īut there is a problem with this argument. Įlliptical forms are sentences, even though few words are missing. I planned to buy silver-color laptop but bought black. I planned to buy silver-color laptop but bought black laptop. In elliptical sentences, few words are omitted to avoid repetition from the preceding sentence or clause. Sentence fragment in response to a question – and No falls into this category – is generally an effective use of fragment, but that doesn’t make it a sentence. It is commonly dubbed as an error, especially in formal writing, but when used judiciously, it can be highly effective. A sentence fragment is a group of words punctuated as a sentence, even though it’s not a sentence. No is a sentence fragment, implying it’s not a sentence. But no such exception has been made for anything even remotely close to No. An imperative doesn’t contain an explicit subject, yet it is considered a sentence (examples: Go and Leave now). It should contain a subject and a finite verb.įrom this perspective, No is clearly not a sentence as it doesn’t fulfil the first condition.Īnd if there were exceptions to the above two conditions, they too would’ve been prescribed, like they’ve been in case of imperative sentences.What does grammar say?Īs per English grammar, a group of words must fulfil two conditions to be a sentence: I was done with the exam I put my pen and paper down and was waiting for the teacher to start collecting papers.Are you coming for the dinner? No. ![]() Since I was done with the exam, I put my pen and paper down, waiting for the teacher to start collecting papers. We can join them either using a comma or a conjunction. Unattached phrases must be made part of a complete sentence. Waiting for the teacher to start collecting papers. Since I was done with the exam, I put my pen and paper down. The easiest way to count the number of clauses in a sentence is to count the number of verbs, then find their corresponding subjects. Since you drew the short straw, you must walk to the gas station while we stay here. I am upset that it is snowing in the middle of April. As the following examples illustrate, a sentence may consist of a single clause or may contain multiple clauses: One clause: In English, a clause is defined as a unit that contains both a verb and its subject. In order to understand how these errors occur, it is first necessary to define clauses in English. This happens to be my life nowadays.Īside from typographical errors, the two most common causes of fragments are the misuse of subordinators and the misuse of prepositions. Correct:Īfter the classes, I am going to the library. In the first sentence, introduce the subject and in the second add the main verb. There are many ways to correct the sentences above. ![]()
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