The Lighthouse

It is usually best to avoid sentence fragments and try to ensure that all sentences are complete (contain a verb and a subject, e.g. I will argue that…). One way of checking for sentence fragments is to make sure the sentence makes sense in its own right. You can do this by:

• reading an assignment back to front: start with the last sentence and read each sentence through to the start. If the sentence doesn’t make sense, then it may need revising.
• imagining someone has just entered the room and spoken the sentence out loud. If the sentence doesn’t make sense, then it may need revising.

For more information see:

• http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/sentence-fragments.php