Which term describes utterances that take the form of incomplete, minor, or ungrammatical sentences?

• A. Incomplete Sentences
• B. Linear
• C. Minor Sentence
• D. Slang

Answer: (A)

The concept here is labeling utterances that aren’t fully formed as proper sentences. Incomplete sentences are those fragments that lack a full clause, such as missing a subject or a predicate, or that feel ungrammatical in standard syntax. This umbrella term covers forms like “No entry,” “Lunch?” or “When I get there…”—items that convey meaning but don’t meet the criteria of a complete sentence.

That’s why the best fit is incomplete sentences: it directly names those fragmentary, underformed, or ungrammatical forms. A minor sentence is related and often used to describe very short, sentence-like utterances, but the broader and more general label for fragments is incomplete sentences. The other options don’t describe sentence completeness: linear isn’t about sentence structure, and slang concerns style or register rather than grammatical completeness.