Is this a sentence fragment? My older brother’s contact lens case and eye solution. yes no
The correct answer and explanation is:
Yes, this is a sentence fragment.
A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence that does not express a complete thought. For a group of words to be considered a complete sentence, it must include at least one independent clause. An independent clause has both a subject and a predicate, and it can stand alone as a complete sentence.
In this case, “My older brother’s contact lens case and eye solution” is just a noun phrase, which means it lacks a verb or action. The words are describing items related to the older brother, but there is no action or complete thought expressed. To turn this into a complete sentence, you would need to add a verb and complete the idea. For example, “My older brother’s contact lens case and eye solution are on the counter.”
To clarify, sentence fragments often occur when part of a sentence is omitted, leaving behind a phrase that seems like it should belong to a larger sentence but is incomplete. This could happen in informal speech, notes, or when writing in shorthand. For instance, if someone says, “My older brother’s contact lens case and eye solution,” in conversation, they may be intending to convey additional information, like where the items are or what they are doing. But as written, without a verb, it cannot stand alone as a full sentence.
To avoid sentence fragments, always ensure that a subject and predicate are present in your writing and that your sentence expresses a complete thought.