Appropriate Sentence Fragments

[T.Allen.Smith]

I see it done in a decent amount in published books. I'm wondering what the consensus is here at MS?

Are sentence frags okay and, if so, when? Are they never acceptable?

 

[Christopher Wright]

Of course they're acceptable. Some readers won't like it, but that's true about everything.

As to when, well, that's a harder question to answer.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I use them in dialogue & for dramatic effect in regular prose.

Just curious if anyone else uses them in other ways. Also as readers, how do people feel about it?

 

[ThinkerX]

I see no problem with using them in dialogue - mostly because quite a few people use sentence fragments in everyday speech - as well as combining words in other ways that are not correct, grammar wise.

 

[Lawfire]

Appropriate. When appropriate.

 

[Telcontar]

As Lawfire said. This, as with every other trick of style that might technically break a rule, is a matter of moderation. Use it sparingly, and only where it will have good effect, so that the reader sees you're breaking the rules on purpose.

 

[James Chandler]

As Lawfire said. This, as with every other trick of style that might technically break a rule, is a matter of moderation. Use it sparingly, and only where it will have good effect, so that the reader sees you're breaking the rules on purpose.

If the narration is flowing well enough, the reader likely won't even notice the sentence is a fragment.

 

[Caged Maiden]

I do get annoyed when a book is riddled with sentence fragments, but I use them often in dialogue, especially in fights wen people are less inclined to take their time. I mean, when was the last time you had an argument and shouted well-worded complete thoughts? Not me. Not ever.

 

[coolstoneman]

I agree... in the appropriate context, it can work very well. I use them occasionally, and am tempted to overuse them at times. In speech, it's definitely more common because we do tend to speak that way in everyday life.

One instance I thought where it might also be acceptable would be, as an example, in the book Jurassic Park. There are pages where Crichton is describing what is being displayed on the screen, such as the dinosaur count:

T-Rex - 12
Raptor - 18
Compy - 39

This may not be the best example, but you get the idea. I like using this style when possible because it tends to give more of a visual description. When done right, sentence fragments can be very useful.

 

[Robert Donnell]

As a rule I would say use clean, clear and concise English in all cases except dialog.

An example was USAF Prisoners in North Vietnam, they spoke in a "Compact Shorthand" using the least number of words possible, the reason was most of the time they were not allowed to speak to each other at all so they used Morse code to transmit messages between themselves which was a pain so by shortening the messages they could say much more but when they did get to speak they still were super brief with words.

In other times and places characters might be over flowery, so dialog absolutely can be played with because we as Humans play with language. I mean where would a Pirate be without ARRRR!

 

[ProfessorBrainfever]

Story trumps grammar. In my humble opinion, anyway. Of course, grammar and I haven't been on speaking terms since the 6th grade. So take my advice with a lump of salt.

 

[Steerpike]

Story trumps grammar. In my humble opinion, anyway. Of course, grammar and I haven't been on speaking terms since the 6th grade. So take my advice with a lump of salt.

I think this is exactly right. I don't mind fragments, so long as they are handled skilfully. My view is that there are no "hard and fast" rules when it comes to writing. One simply has to look at a book like House of Leaves to see an author successfully throw most "rules" out the window. Authors have demonstrated time and again that even such basic components of writing as punctuation can be played with by the author (or eliminated; e.g. McCarthy and quotation marks).

I've seen writers successfully use a large number of sentence fragments in a work. I've also seen writers attempt to use them and botch it, so that the end result is a mess. As with all such questions, it comes down to whether the author knows what she is doing.

 

[Jess A]

Learn the rules. Then you break them if need be.

 

[SeverinR]

Learn the rules. Then you break them if need be.

I would say, learn the rules, so you know when you break them, and why.

I do try to use complete sentences except for dialog, I will remember it is ok in intense moments, I would say not just combat or fight scenes.
I will admit, I think of the gray underlines as "idiot lines". You idiot, MS word had to correct you again!

 

[Jess A]

I would say, learn the rules, so you know when you break them, and why.

I was making a joke I do agree with what you say.