fragment / complete sentence

A piece that cannot stand alone versus a sentence that can.

A complete sentence is an independent clause: it has a subject and a finite verb, and it can stand alone: The lock jammed. A fragment cannot stand alone. It may lack a subject or a finite verb (After the storm. Running late.), or it may have both but remain a subordinate clause (When the lock jammed. Because the lock jammed.). Attach the fragment to an independent clause, or rewrite it as one.

Examples

UseThe pump failed. (Independent clause.)

UseWhen the pump failed, the line stopped. (Subordinate clause attached.)

AvoidWhen the pump failed. (Subordinate clause alone.)

AvoidRunning late. (No finite verb.)