Question

Read the paragraph.

The Merchant of Venice is about a poor young man named Bassanio who falls in love with a young woman, Portia, from a rich family. Bassanio asks his wealthy friend Antonio to lend him some money. To win her hand in marriage. However, Antonio’s money is invested in merchant ships at sea. He cannot get his money until the ships return, so he borrows the money to help his friend.

Which of the following is a sentence fragment?

A.
However, Antonio’s money is invested in merchant ships at sea.

B.
To win her hand in marriage.

C.
Bassanio asks his wealthy friend Antonio to lend him some money.

D.
He cannot get his money until the ships return, so he borrows the money to help his friend.

Answer 1

I think it is b because a fragment is a small part broken or separated off something. So b seems to be the most choppy and unexplained.

Answer 2

Answer: B) To win her hand in marriage.

Step-by-step explanation: a sentence fragment is a group of words that form a dependent clause (it doesn't make sense on its own), in order to be a complete sentence, it has to be at least one independent clause (a phrase that has a subject, a verb and has meaning on its own). In the given paragraph, the phrase "To win her hand in marriage" is an example of a fragment (it is a dependent clause without a subject).