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“Although” is a subordinating conjunction that calls for some kind of completion. Like “if,” “when,” “because,” “whereas,” and other subordinating conjunctions (see the Glossary of Grammatical Terms), “although” always makes the clause that it introduces dependent.

Corrections

I had an appointment for 11:00 and was still waiting at 11:30, although I did get to see the dean before lunch. [fragment attached to preceding sentence]

As the correction demonstrates, the remedy lies in attaching the fragment to an independent clause on which it can depend (or, alternatively, making the fragment into a sentence by dropping the conjunction).

Sometimes writers use sentence fragments deliberately, usually for rhythm and emphasis or to create a conversational tone. In less formal contexts, they are generally permissible, but you run the risk that the fragment will not be perceived as intentional. In formal writing assignments, it is safer to avoid intentional fragments.

Test yourself 19.1: Fragments

There are fragments in each of the following three examples, probably the result of their proximity to legitimate sentences. What’s the problem in each case, and how would you fix it?

Like many other anthropologists, Margaret Mead studied non-Western cultures in such works as Coming of Age in Samoa. And influenced theories of childhood development in America.

The catastrophe resulted from an engineering flaw. Because the bridge lacked sufficient support.

In the 1840s the potato famine decimated Ireland. It being a country with poor soil and antiquated methods of agriculture.

Using Dashes and Colons to Correct Fragments

Beyond what the punctuation guide has offered, the particular virtues of the dash and colon as ways to correct sentence fragments deserve brief mention. One way to correct a fragment is to replace the period with a dash: “The campaign required commitment. Not just money.” becomes “The campaign required commitment—not just money.” The dash offers you one way of attaching a phrase or dependent clause to a sentence without having to construct another independent clause. In short, it’s succinct. (Compare the correction that uses the dash with another possible correction: “The campaign required commitment. It also required money.”) Moreover, with the air of sudden interruption that the dash conveys, it can capture the informality and immediacy that the intentional fragment offers a writer.

You should be wary of overusing the dash as the slightly more presentable cousin of the intentional fragment. The energy it carries can clash with the decorum of formal writing contexts; for some readers, its staccato effect quickly becomes too much of a good thing.

One alternative to this usage of the dash is the colon. It can substitute because it also can be followed by a phrase, a list, or a clause. It must be preceded by an independent clause. And like the dash, it carries dramatic force because it abruptly halts the flow of the sentence.

The colon, however, does not convey informality. In place of a slapdash effect, it trains a light on what is to follow it. Hence, as in this sentence you are reading, it is especially appropriate for setting up certain kinds of information: explanations, lists, or results. In the case of results, the cause or action precedes the colon; the effect or reaction follows it.

BWE 2: COMMA SPLICES AND FUSED (OR RUN-ON) SENTENCES

A comma splice consists of two independent clauses connected (“spliced”) with a comma; a fused (or run-on) sentence combines two such clauses with no conjunction or punctuation. The solutions for both comma splices and fused sentences are the same.

Place a conjunction (such as “and” or “because”) between the clauses.

Place a semicolon between the clauses.

Make the clauses into separate sentences.

All of these solutions solve the same logical problem: they clarify the boundaries of the independent clauses for your readers.

Comma Splice