Page 704 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing
P. 704
Dependent Clause Fragments
2 Correct dependent clause fragments.
Jarrod did not finish his term paper. Because his computer
crashed.
When Alice arrived at 10:15. The exam had already started.
Each of the italicized fragments above is a dependent clause
fragment. A dependent clause fragment always begins with a
dependent word. To fix a dependent clause fragment, attach it to a
complete sentence. Removing the dependent word will also fix the
fragment, but the dependent word may be necessary to strengthen the
logical connection between two ideas.
Jarrod did not finish his term paper because his computer
crashed.
Jarrod did not finish his term paper. His computer crashed.
When Alice arrived at 10:15, the exam had already started.
