Sentence Fragment Practice worksheet - Free Printable

Let's go through each item on the worksheet and determine whether it is a complete sentence or a fragment.

A complete sentence must have:
- A subject (who or what the sentence is about)
- A predicate (what the subject is doing — usually a verb)

A fragment is missing either a subject or a predicate (or both).

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1. ride the bicycle

✘ Fragment – No subject. "Ride" is a verb, but who is riding? Missing subject.

2. we took our dog for a walk

✔ Sentence – Subject: "we", Predicate: "took our dog for a walk". Complete.

3. the amazing baseball player

✘ Fragment – Just a noun phrase. No verb. Missing predicate.

4. spinning the web in the rain

✘ Fragment – "Spinning" is a present participle, not a complete verb form. No subject. Fragment.

5. a turtle crawled down the road

✔ Sentence – Subject: "a turtle", Predicate: "crawled down the road". Complete.

6. the frog leaped

✔ Sentence – Subject: "the frog", Predicate: "leaped". Complete.

7. ran down the long football field

✘ Fragment – No subject. "Ran" is a verb, but who ran? Missing subject.

8. green and leafy vegetables

✘ Fragment – Noun phrase only. No verb. Fragment.

9. performing for a huge audience

✘ Fragment – Present participle phrase. No subject or main verb. Fragment.

10. the friendly waitress

✘ Fragment – Noun phrase. No verb. Fragment.

11. she noticed the falling star

✔ Sentence – Subject: "she", Predicate: "noticed the falling star". Complete.

12. his phone case was blue

✔ Sentence – Subject: "his phone case", Predicate: "was blue". Complete.

13. the bouncing beach ball

✘ Fragment – Noun phrase. No verb. Fragment.

14. did you see the movie

✔ Sentence – This is a question. Subject: "you", Predicate: "did see". Even though it's inverted, it’s still a complete sentence.

> Note: Questions are complete sentences if they have a subject and predicate.

15. the crashing waves

✘ Fragment – Noun phrase. No verb. Fragment.

16. punching the swinging bag

✘ Fragment – Gerund phrase. No subject. Fragment.

17. I stared

✔ Sentence – Subject: "I", Predicate: "stared". Complete.

18. gave me a birthday present today

✘ Fragment – No subject. "Gave" is a verb, but who gave it? Missing subject.

19. the picture frame is shiny

✔ Sentence – Subject: "the picture frame", Predicate: "is shiny". Complete.

20. the girl's curly hair

✘ Fragment – Noun phrase. No verb. Fragment.

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✔ Final Answers:

| # | Phrase | Answer |
|---|--------|--------|
| 1 | ride the bicycle | fragment |
| 2 | we took our dog for a walk | sentence |
| 3 | the amazing baseball player | fragment |
| 4 | spinning the web in the rain | fragment |
| 5 | a turtle crawled down the road | sentence |
| 6 | the frog leaped | sentence |
| 7 | ran down the long football field | fragment |
| 8 | green and leafy vegetables | fragment |
| 9 | performing for a huge audience | fragment |
|10 | the friendly waitress | fragment |
|11 | she noticed the falling star | sentence |
|12 | his phone case was blue | sentence |
|13 | the bouncing beach ball | fragment |
|14 | did you see the movie | sentence |
|15 | the crashing waves | fragment |
|16 | punching the swinging bag | fragment |
|17 | I stared | sentence |
|18 | gave me a birthday present today | fragment |
|19 | the picture frame is shiny | sentence |
|20 | the girl's curly hair | fragment |

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Summary of Rules Used:

- Complete Sentence: Must have a subject and a predicate (verb).
- Fragment: Missing subject, predicate, or both.
- Phrases like "the [noun]" or "-ing phrases" without a verb are fragments.
- Questions are acceptable as sentences if they contain both subject and predicate.

Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable answer key!