Sentence Structure and Fragments: TEAS Practice Question with Answer & Explanation

Understanding Complete Sentences vs. Sentence Fragments

Identifying a complete sentence is a core skill for the TEAS English and Language Usage section. To be considered grammatically complete, a sentence must contain three essential components:

1. A Subject: Who or what the sentence is about.
2. A Predicate (Verb): What the subject is doing or its state of being.
3. A Complete Thought: The sentence must be able to stand alone without leaving the reader waiting for more information.

Why Choice C is Correct

"While studying for the entrance exam, she took frequent breaks." This is a complete sentence because it contains a clear subject (she) and a clear verb (took). Although it begins with a dependent clause ("While studying for the entrance exam"), it is followed by an independent clause ("she took frequent breaks") that expresses a full idea. Because the independent clause can stand on its own, the entire structure is a grammatically correct complex sentence.

Why the Other Choices are Incorrect

• A: "Since the rain began falling heavily against the windowpane." This is a dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause). The word "Since" is a subordinating conjunction that turns the statement into a fragment. It leaves the reader wondering, "Since the rain began... then what happened?"
• B: "The exhausted marathon runner finally crossing the finish line." This is a fragment because it lacks a finite verb. In this context, "crossing" is a participle (an -ing word acting as a modifier). To make this a sentence, you would need a helping verb (e.g., "The runner was crossing") or a standard past-tense verb (e.g., "The runner crossed").
• D: "To find a better way to organize the medical supplies in the cabinet." This is an infinitive phrase. While it contains a "verb-like" word ("to find"), it lacks a subject and a main verb that shows action being taken by a subject. It functions as a goal or a reason, but not a complete statement.

TEAS Concept: Clauses and Fragments

On the TEAS, examiners often try to trick you by making fragments very long. Just because a group of words is long doesn't mean it is a sentence. Always look for the "anchor"—the subject-verb pair that makes sense by itself.

Study Tip: The "I Believe That" Test

If you are unsure if a sentence is complete, try putting the words "I believe that..." in front of it.

• "I believe that she took frequent breaks." (Makes sense = Complete)
• "I believe that since the rain began." (Doesn't make sense = Fragment)