Page 265 - English - Teaching Academic Esl Writing

SUBORDINATE CLAUSES 251
Sentence Fragments
The most common types of sentence fragments found in students' writing consist of separated adverb clauses or prepositional phrases. The first type of error is usually easy to notice and correct:
*Becauseengineeringisapracticalfield oftheapplication ofscienceand math. *Although education and training are an investment.
*When students earn more knowledge and hospital experience in nursing.
To a large extent, such errors occur (in L1 and L2 writing alike) because sep- arated adverb clauses are acceptable and highly common in conversations:
• • •
Why did you decide to study engineering? —Becauseengineeringisapracticalfieldofapplication ofscienceand math. Education is expensive these days. Hmmm.
—Education and trainingarean investment though.
So, when do students get a chance to do clinical training?
—When students earn more knowledge and hospital experience innursing.
The purpose of subordinate conjunctions such as because, although,when, and if is to conjoin the main and subordinate clauses. Thus, when conjunc- tions are used, they need to have two clauses to conjoin. In a sense conjunc- tions play the role of glue to glue two sentences together; if a sentence includes only one simple sentence and a bit of glue, there is nothing for the conjunction to conjoin.
To correct separated adverb clauses, two options are possible: Ei- ther the glue must be removed (and the conjunction deleted), or an- other sentence needs to be added to make use of the gluing conjunction power.
Other types of sentence fragments such as separated prepositional phrases are also highly common in conversations:
• Where did you read about xxx?
—In an article about the importance of visual art in advertising.
• When did World War I begin ?
—On thedaywhentheAustriancrownprincewasassassinatedin Sarajevo.
In written text separated prepositional phrases are more difficult to no- tice and correct than abandoned adverb clauses. Fortunately, however, lonely prepositional phrases are less common.
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