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New2grammar Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Fragmented sentences

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01b00Now, come to think of it, not considering the reason behind, it was quite unfair to her, given that she came all the way, travelled 700 miles, to a totally different state and city to work for him.02b02br
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00I know the sentence is fragmented. But I wonder if it's understandable to native speakers. And if it's also common in daily conversations. I've heard so many fragmented sentences but I don't think I have any idea how to form them correctly. Are there any rules? My believe is when you want to emphasize some points which you've just articulated but Ooops...you think they are not clear, you would pause which is indicated by a comma in writing and follow with elaboration and once you're done, you end it with another pause and go back to your original thought. Though it's ugly in writing, I feel it's quite important in conversation to make your point. Of course, if you can speak as good as you write, there's no need for this ugliness. But at the moment, this is a quick fix for me while I continue to polish my English. Please be honest. Thanks in advance.02br
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Top answer

02br 00No, I got lost halfway. Basically, it is too long to work. The relationships between fragments are lost without additional punctuation, a few conjunctions or other discourse markers.

— Mister Micawber

  • 02br 00No, I got lost halfway.
  • Basically, it is too long to work.
  • The relationships between fragments are lost without additional punctuation, a few conjunctions or other discourse markers.
  • Of course, that \may be because I am reading it.
  • It is not acceptable in good written language because it is not accompanied by the pauses, gestures, etc that would make it clear when spoken.
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24 Answers
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00No, I got lost halfway. Basically, it is too long to work. The relationships between fragments are lost without additional punctuation, a few conjunctions or other discourse markers. Of course, that \may be because I am reading it. It is not acceptable in good written language because it is not accompanied by the pauses, gestures, etc that would make it clear when spoken
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0 01b00Now, come to think of it, not considering the reason behind, it was quite unfair to her, given that she came all the wayto a totally different state and city to work for him -- travelling 700 miles02br
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00MM, is it better now? If not, could you rephrase it?02br
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00not considering the reason behind means not taking into account the
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00I'm not sure what you are looking to accomplish, New2. What do you mean by 'better'?0-
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0 You have a lot of unnecessary verbiage in your sentence. If your intent is to make as complex a sentence as possible and have it still be understandable you're on your own. It you want to be understood try this:02br
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01del00Now, come to think of it, not considering the reason behind,02del00 It was quite unfair to her, given that she traveled seven
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0 Hi N2G,02br
00What are you trying to gain by using fragmented sentences in string? The "sentence" is too drawn-out and distracting which makes it tiresome to read. Some of the fragments are actually adverbial phrases which when used properly can enhance the senence but 02br
00too many is overbearing. 0-
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0Well... I hate to say things that are in not in harmony with other people on this forum whose opinions I highly respect, but actually, a lot of my first drafts in fiction writing read like this, so yes, some natives do do this. Without fail, my writers group says "Barb, your sentences are way the f*** too long" (they don't always swear when they say it but the emphasis remains) so I have to bre
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0I think your long sentences 01i00are 02i00clever, Barb, because they build to a climax. In the first sentence, the ludicrous contrast of "under cover of darkness" with "Piggly Wiggly" (could there be a more hilarious grocery store name?) provides the "reward" for plowing through the duller first part of the sentence. (Although I think I would take out "with the rest in th
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0I appreciate that so many experts responded to my question. Thank you, MM, RayH, Goodman, GG, Delmobile.02br
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00I do not intend to complicate my sentences. I've heard native speakers saying sentences like this. I thought it was OK to put them in writing word for word. 02br
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00MM, if I understand your comment correctly, you write differently than y
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0 I thought you made your point effectively. I can hear something like this coming up in a conversation and think it would be understood with the appropriate inflection. With some reading and some practice you could learn how to punctuate this sort of thing. (But don't use super-long sentences to describe a series of actions.) 0-
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0Del, my "Under Cover of Darkness at the Piggly Wiggly" is the story that needs the most polishing, but it's 100% true. After Grandma Pearl died, we had to find a way to dispose of all the stuff that couldn't go to the Salvation Army and the food panty and so on - all the opened food and such. I think the reason my sister and I had to do it is that we're the ones who'd drunk the least beer that
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