Question

which of the following is a sentence fragment?
marina is a fast runner and a skilled basketball player.
marina, an excellent basketball player.
marina has very strong basketball skills.
marina, a great basketball player, scored 26 points today.

Explanation:

Define a complete sentence versus a fragment

A complete sentence must contain a subject, a verb, and express a complete thought. A sentence fragment is a group of words that looks like a sentence but is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

Analyze each option

• "Marina is a fast runner and a skilled basketball player." contains the subject "Marina", the verb "is", and expresses a complete thought. This is a complete sentence.
• "Marina, an excellent basketball player." contains a subject "Marina" and an appositive phrase "an excellent basketball player" describing her, but lacks a main verb. This is a sentence fragment.
• "Marina has very strong basketball skills." contains the subject "Marina", the verb "has", and expresses a complete thought. This is a complete sentence.
• "Marina, a great basketball player, scored 26 points today." contains the subject "Marina", an appositive phrase, and the main verb "scored". This is a complete sentence.

Identify the fragment

The second option is missing a predicate (verb) to complete the thought, making it a sentence fragment.

Answer:

• (A) Marina is a fast runner and a skilled basketball player.
• (B) Marina, an excellent basketball player. (Correct answer)
• (C) Marina has very strong basketball skills.
• (D) Marina, a great basketball player, scored 26 points today.