Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges: "Fragments" Answer Key

Answer key for Fragments activity.

Practice I: In the following sentences, highlight all of the verbs and underline the subject doing the action of each verb. Note: Some sentences have more than one subject and/or verb.

  1. Carmen rides the bus to school.
  2. Brittany and her brothers work every day after school.
  3. Clarissa does not like Morley's new plaid pants.
  4. In a big city, life is frantic and makes people irritable.
  5. Kim Lee, a good student, has learned a lot of English.
  6. Next week there will be a rainstorm, so we can't hold our garage sale.

 

Practice II: In the following paragraph, highlight all of the verbs and underline the subject doing the action of each verb.

Juanita Morales runs a successful neighborhood theater on a very small budget. She asks the community and her family for help. Performances take place in a small store that belongs to the city, so Juanita pays no rent. Tatiana, one of her friends, works in a copy center and prints all of the programs for free. Juanita's aunts and her mother help sell tickets. Her cousins and her sister make many of the costumes. Her uncle, who is a carpenter, builds the sets for the plays. The theater is very popular. There are performances every weekend: plays, poetry readings, and concerts. Each ticket costs only two dollars. The money goes to the performers. Juanita and her friends have lined up programs for the next three months. Many people in the neighborhood feel that the theater benefits the community.

 

Practice III: Rewrite the following fragments to make them complete. Add a subject or verb, or complete the existing verb phrase. Answers will vary.

Original fragments:

  1. Always asking me to run errands for him.
  2. Jack crazy about Sophia.
  3. The substitute teacher's wheezing old car.
  4. Who always knows what he wants. 
  5. Lupe, who lives next door.

Possible Corrections:

  1. He is always asking me to run errands for him.
  2. Jack is crazy about Sophia.
  3. The substitute teacher's wheezing old car limped down the road.
  4. He is the type of man who always knows what he wants.
  5. Lupe, who lives next door, plays loud music all hours of the night.

 

Practice IV: Rewrite the following passage and complete all of the fragments. Answers will vary.

Original:

At this very moment. You are reading from the English practice exercises. The work may be difficult, time-consuming, and even tedious. Because grammar imposes order on our thinking. Studying the basics also helps us sort out and organize our ideas. Students who write well. Usually do well in courses throughout the curriculum. Because writing encourages us to think critically and helps us learn. From taking notes, summarizing text, writing essay exams, to writing research papers. Make us more confident students. Strong writing skills. The English practice exercises should be taken seriously. Because it gives you the solid foundation that you need for all your college writing. Keep up with the work in the English practice exercises and with the homework. To facilitate your learning and to master the material.

Possible Correction:

At this very moment, you are reading from the English practice exercises. The work may be difficult, time consuming, and even tedious. Because grammar imposes order on our thinking, studying the basics also helps us sort out and organize our ideas. Students who write well usually do well in courses throughout the curriculum because writing encourages us to think critically and helps us learn. From taking notes, summarizing text, writing essay exams, to writing research papers strong writing skills make us more confident students. The English practice exercises should be taken seriously because they give you the solid foundation that you need for all your college writing. Keep up with the work in the English practice exercises and with the homework to facilitate your learning and to master the material.

Last modified: Monday, October 21, 2019, 6:59 PM