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Is there a sentence fragment in the following?

It was like a spring roll. Two scoops with peanut shavings and cilantro wrapped up like a burrito.

If there is a fragment, is it acceptable in a school essay?

I'd appreciate your help.

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  • It's easily fixed by replacing the period with a colon (or a dash), making it a single sentence. Mar 16, 2019 at 8:46
  • Right, but the OP has asked whether it's acceptable as it is. Mar 16, 2019 at 8:55

1 Answer 1

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Yes, the second sentence is actually a fragment, as it does not have a principal verb. It's a fragment that describes the subject of the previous sentence. It is acceptable in relatively informal speech or writing, and would be quite common in advertising copy, but in some formal situations it would be seen as sloppy.

You can stop it being a fragment by changing the full stop into a comma (or other punctuation - a dash or a colon would also work).

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