Which is a complete sentence?
Nick’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat.
Ann replaced the broken fuse in the fuse box.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is: Ann replaced the broken fuse in the fuse box.
A complete sentence must have at least a subject and a predicate (verb) and express a complete thought. Let’s break down the two options:
- Nick’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat.
This is not a complete sentence. It is a sentence fragment. While it contains a noun phrase (“Nick’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat”), it lacks a verb and does not convey a full thought. It leaves the reader wondering: What happened with Nick’s chair? Was it moved? Was something done to it? The sentence is incomplete because there is no action or description that forms a clear idea. - Ann replaced the broken fuse in the fuse box.
This is a complete sentence. It has a subject (“Ann”), a verb (“replaced”), and a complete thought. The sentence tells us exactly what happened: Ann took action (replacing the fuse), and it specifies what she replaced (the broken fuse) and where it was replaced (in the fuse box). This provides all the necessary components of a full sentence.
A complete sentence gives the reader all the information they need to understand the situation. It should not leave anything ambiguous or unfinished. The subject must perform an action or be described, and there must be a clear idea conveyed through the combination of the subject and the verb. Fragments, on the other hand, may lack one of these components or fail to deliver a full thought.