Period After Fragments and Shortened Expressions
The Period
Rulebase Summary
Use a period to end a condensed expression or sentence fragment that functions as a complete statement or command, even though it lacks a traditional subject-and-predicate structure. These fragments are common as brief answers in dialogue ('Not me.', 'No idea.', 'As little as possible.'). If the meaning is clear in context, the fragment is treated as a complete sentence and closed with a period.
Examples
Q. Did anyone else witness the collision?
A. Not that I recall,
Q. Did anyone else witness the collision?
A. Not that I recall.
Fragment functioning as a complete answer gets a period.
Q. How much did you drink that night?
A. Very little,
Q. How much did you drink that night?
A. Very little.
Short answer fragment is a complete thought — period.
Transcript Notes
Testimony Q&A is full of these shortened responses. Do not separate fragments from the question or answer they belong to — keep them within the same Q or A block when they form part of a single idea. Objections ('Objection. Conclusory.' / 'Objection. Vague, overbroad.') are also treated as complete expressions ending with periods, though each objection has its own unique construction and should be evaluated individually.
Style Guide References (5)
Morson's
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP
BGGP