Sentence fragmentation: stylistic aspects

‘Sentence fragmentation’ is a term covering the use of linguistic expressions that are not grammatically full sentences but that are nevertheless punctuated as sentences. This article first summarizes the study of sentence fragmentation in written texts, including research in stylistics and psychology and the observations of grammar textbooks and punctuation guides. We then present a survey of 16 different types of sentence fragmentation found in our database of examples, mainly from narrative fiction. We then discuss the major stylistic functions of sentence fragmentation in literary texts. Finally, we present some suggestions for future linguistic and stylistic research on fragmentation.