The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: Nighttime leg cramps frequently occur in calf muscles.
A complete sentence is a fundamental unit of grammar that expresses a full, independent thought. To be considered complete, a sentence must contain at least two essential elements: a subject and a predicate. The subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described, while the predicate is the part of the sentence that contains the verb and tells us something about the subject.
The sentence, “Nighttime leg cramps frequently occur in calf muscles,” fulfills these requirements perfectly. The subject is “Nighttime leg cramps.” This phrase clearly identifies what the sentence is about. The predicate is “frequently occur in calf muscles,” which contains the main verb “occur.” This predicate describes the action that the subject performs. Together, these components form a coherent idea that can stand alone. The sentence makes a clear statement of fact and does not leave the reader waiting for more information to make sense of it.
On the other hand, the phrase “Oscar’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat” is a sentence fragment. Although it is a long and descriptive phrase, it lacks a predicate. It successfully identifies a subject, which is “Oscar’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat.” However, there is no main verb to state what the chair does or what its state of being is. It simply names an object. This leaves the thought unfinished and the reader asking a question like, “What about the chair?” To become a complete sentence, it would need a verb, such as, “Oscar’s antique maple chair with an artistically hand-woven seat sits in the corner.” Without a verb to complete the thought, it remains an incomplete fragment.
