Although he had promised his parents he wouldn't stay out until midnight and wake
everyone up when he came creeping up the stairs.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In this question, we’re evaluating whether the given line constitutes a fragment or a complete sentence.
Option 1: fragment
- The opening word is Although, which introduces a dependent (subordinate) clause. For a sentence to be complete, a main clause expressing a full thought is required.
- The phrase that follows, "he had promised his parents" appears as the introductory part of the dependent clause, but in many standard analyses this surface form is considered incomplete because it lacks a clearly stated main clause after the dependent portion. The reader is left with the sense that something is missing to complete the thought (i.e., what he promised, or the consequence). In many grammar regimes, the sentence would be corrected by inserting a complement such as "that he wouldn't stay out..." to explicitly connect the dependent clause to a main clause.
- Therefore, as presented, the line functions as a fragment because the dependent introductory element (Although he had promised his parents) does not stand alone as a complete thought, and the progression to a full, independent main clause is not fully realized without a slight adjustment. This makes the option fragment a plausible categorization if strict completeness is required.
Option 2: sentence
- If one accepts that the clause can be read with the main clause implied or understood as part of the same construct, some grammar guides would argue that the line does express a complete thought: there is a main clause after the introductory dependent clause: "he wouldn’t stay out until midnight and wake everyone up when he came creeping up the stairs." However, the explicit connection from the introductory phrase to the main clause is often expected to be marked more clearly, e.g., by adding that: "Although he had promised his parents that he wouldn’t stay out..." or by rephrasing.
- The fact that many students notice the introductory "Although" phrase and expect a full main clause leads to confusion: while the sentence can be read as complete in practice, the formal requirement for a clear main clause after an introductory fragment makes this option less robust in strict grammar labeling.
- Consequently, labeling it a full sentence is less defensible given the conventional expectation that the dependent clause should be clearly tied to an explicit main clause, especially in test contexts that emphasize the presence of a complete independent clause.
In summary, the provided construction more reliably fits the criterion for a fragment due to the missing explicit connector (such as that) or a clearly stated main clause, whereas the sentence option relies on a stricter interpretation that would require a minor adjustment to be unquestionably complete.

6252-12019-ESOL-0351 Quiz - Fragments

Although he had promised his parents he wouldn't stay out until midnight and wake everyone up when he came creeping up the stairs.

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