Is there a sentence fragment?On November 18, 1903, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed. Which gave the United States possession of the Panama Canal Zone.

Break Down the Problem

1. Identify the components of the text provided to assess if there are complete sentences.
2. Determine if any parts lack a subject or verb, indicating a fragment.

Relevant Concepts

1. A complete sentence requires at least a subject and a predicate.
2. A sentence fragment fails to express a complete thought.

Analysis and Detail

1. The first part, "On November 18, 1903, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed," is a complete sentence.
2. The second part, "Which gave the United States possession of the Panama Canal Zone," starts with "Which," making it a dependent clause that does not stand alone as a complete thought. It lacks a main subject and verb and is therefore considered a sentence fragment.

Verify and Summarize

The first part is a complete sentence, while the second part is a fragment. For clarity, you could revise the fragment to connect it to the first sentence: "On November 18, 1903, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed, which gave the United States possession of the Panama Canal Zone."

Final Answer

Yes, the phrase "Which gave the United States possession of the Panama Canal Zone" is a sentence fragment.