A sentence fragment is a group of words punctuated like a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. In academic writing, that's an error. In fiction and creative nonfiction, it's a tool. Used well, fragments create punch, mimic the way people actually think, and control the speed at which readers move through your prose.
Fragments are one of the fastest ways to change your pacing. A short fragment after a long, flowing sentence creates impact - like a drumbeat after a melody. They're also essential for writing authentic internal monologue, since nobody thinks in perfectly constructed sentences.
McCarthy's prose is built on fragments. Sentences like 'Gray daylight. Gray snow' create the novel's bleak, stripped-down atmosphere through deliberate incompleteness.
Morrison uses fragments to capture the fragmented nature of memory and trauma, letting broken sentences mirror broken experiences.
The narrator's staccato fragments ('I am Jack's smirking revenge') became the novel's signature voice, proving fragments can define an entire book's identity.
Fragments work through contrast. If everything is a fragment, nothing is. Save them for moments that deserve emphasis.
Deliberate fragments feel intentional because of their placement and context. If a reader can't tell whether you broke the rule on purpose, revise until the intention is clear.
Match your fragments to your narrative voice. A distant, omniscient narrator using casual fragments feels inconsistent. Save them for close, intimate narration.
Write a scene of exactly ten sentences where a character receives bad news. Make seven of those sentences complete and three of them deliberate fragments. Place the fragments where you want the reader to slow down or feel impact. Then swap the fragments and complete sentences and notice how the emphasis shifts entirely.