I keep getting this in Microsoft Word, mostly when A character is talking. Does this happen to you guys, or do I have to revise it? Because when I read it, it looks perfectly fine. Any help here?
-Thanks,
Robbie
-Thanks,
Robbie
Fragment (Consider Revising) (grammar "error" in MS Word)
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That's just a stupid MS Word warning. It means nothing. It's just pointing out an incomplete sentence in case that's not what you were intending. MS Word is like your 8th grade grammar teacher. It doesn't like sentence fragments. It doesn't read fiction. Just ignore it and carry on.
I keep the grammar check off while I'm writing. Those little squiggles annoy me to no end. I want to scream at the screen, "I put that there on purpose, you grammar nazi!" But I don't. 
I get that all the time too. Sometimes I start griping at MSWord and my family members ask if I am writing again.
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Go to the Spelling and Grammar options and tell it to ignore fragments. Word is a mindless program set up to check for Formal Grammar. Not fiction. <<-- fragment! (Find the Settings... button by the Grammar section of the Spelling and Grammar Options Box.)
In fact, go turn off a lot of the options that are common in fiction, esp. dialogue. Then, don't worry about it. Word is only doing what it is programmed to do. It can't check fiction or art. =)
In fact, go turn off a lot of the options that are common in fiction, esp. dialogue. Then, don't worry about it. Word is only doing what it is programmed to do. It can't check fiction or art. =)
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Microsoft's motto: "We're Microsoft. We Know What's Best for You".
The best thing I discovered to help my writing was to turn off the grammar checks. (I still keep spell check on, however.)
The best thing I discovered to help my writing was to turn off the grammar checks. (I still keep spell check on, however.)
I don't see why you consider MS's grammar checker a fault or imposition. It was designed to assist business communications, not fiction writiers. The programmers have gone to the trouble of allowing you to turn off most of the rules. That is a far cry from most software that I've seen.
Yes, I would like it if they developed a set of grammar rules for fiction writers, with rules that would ignore grammar if it is between quotes, etc., but they haven't done that yet. Maybe they're working on it. Think of how difficult that would be, to anticipate all the rules and then how many ways we like to break them.
I am not that great a grammarian to trust myself to write sans MS grammar rules, so I'll live with the squiggly lines when I want to override the program.
Yes, I would like it if they developed a set of grammar rules for fiction writers, with rules that would ignore grammar if it is between quotes, etc., but they haven't done that yet. Maybe they're working on it. Think of how difficult that would be, to anticipate all the rules and then how many ways we like to break them.
I am not that great a grammarian to trust myself to write sans MS grammar rules, so I'll live with the squiggly lines when I want to override the program.
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I keep the grammar check off while I'm writing. Those little squiggles annoy me to no end. I want to scream at the screen, "I put that there on purpose, you grammar nazi!" But I don't.
Lol! (Sorry if that's improper grammar, I just needed to emphasize how funny it was)
And thanks for the help, guys. I got that like, every ten seconds. Thanks Clair for telling me how to turn them off
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I must be like the eighth grade grammar teacher, because I HATE fragments, except in dialog. I'll allow them occasionally (rarely) in a first person POV book, but only for effect. I'm reading a book right now that has so many fragments, it is making my skin crawl. If I see them in the third person, I put the book down.
Am I in the minority with this preference?
Am I in the minority with this preference?
I'm not bothered by sentence fragments. However, my knowledge of grammar isn't strong and most of the time I don't even notice them.
If I notice them, yes.
Once, in one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy author's books was a whole paragraph that made no sense. I had to go back two pages and start again, then skip that wrong paragraph to finish what I knew was a great book - that copy just had a printing error.
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I think dialogue should be realistic. Very few people speak in complete sentences all of the time. So for me it really depends. If all the dialogue I'm reading is complete sentences, really seems to formalize it. That also can be off-putting, say for a 15 yo character to speak such proper English (or any language I would think). My vote is to make it realistic to the character and situation whether that be complete sentences or fragments.
Lol! (Sorry if that's improper grammar, I just needed to emphasize how funny it was)
And thanks for the help, guys. I got that like, every ten seconds. Thanks Clair for telling me how to turn them off
On the other hand, if you ARE getting the fragment warning every ten seconds, you may be overusing fragments, creating a bumpy ride for the reader. That's something to consider. An occasional fragment is fine and can be exactly what the rhythm of the prose needs. A string of them, used for a reason, can also be fine. But incessant use of fragments, like any other single type of sentence construction, gets old fast.
Though it annoys me when it shows up in diologue I find that it helps me, over all, as I have a tendancy to switch two letters within a word ilke tihs or confuse homophones... it saves me a lot of editing time even though it can be annoying.
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As most have said here, fragments are just fine in dialogue. I try to keep my sentences complete when not typing dialogue, however. It doesn't have to be an all the time thing, though, as long as you don't overuse the sentence fragments.
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Fragments are wonderful tools. And Microsoft should just STFU when it comes to creative writing.
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Word's not real good at checking for style choices in fiction writing. That's why you turn parts of the grammar checker off... it's a program that was made for general word processing, specifically formal writing.
I mean, it's only following the same rules as laid out in Strunk and White... I guess that makes it a bad program for doing what it was programed to do? I've never understood blaming the program for working as it was designed.
I turn of fragments, cliches, double negative, and most of the style choices because I use them in fiction. Word is doing it's job by checking, and as a writer, I'm adjusting a generic program to fit my writing style. I also tell it to check for 2 spaces after the period because that's *my* default and I'd like to be consistent in it.
I mean, it's only following the same rules as laid out in Strunk and White... I guess that makes it a bad program for doing what it was programed to do? I've never understood blaming the program for working as it was designed.
I turn of fragments, cliches, double negative, and most of the style choices because I use them in fiction. Word is doing it's job by checking, and as a writer, I'm adjusting a generic program to fit my writing style. I also tell it to check for 2 spaces after the period because that's *my* default and I'd like to be consistent in it.
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For my history, I had to use a lot of foreign names and terms, and about a third of the way into the project MS Word's automatic spellcheck gave me a "I'm sorry, but we cannot continue" message and shut down. I consider it a milestone in my career that I fatally choked MS Word.
On the other hand, the last place I worked, we used macros in MS Word to create custom letters, drawing from our database. The multi-thousand line macros would insert custom paragraphs, depending on the nature of the letter. It would construct the transitional language so that the information in the paragraphs flowed correctly. It inserted the client's name, address, and other information, including calculated reply dates, as necessary.
We pumped out thousands of these letters each week, without an error.
Admittedly, it was the hard work that went into building the macros that made this work, but without the capabilities of MS Word, this would not have been possible.
We pumped out thousands of these letters each week, without an error.
Admittedly, it was the hard work that went into building the macros that made this work, but without the capabilities of MS Word, this would not have been possible.
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