Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

While the volunteers cleaned the park, the children planted flowers near the entrance.

Which choice is the best version of the underlined portion?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    park; the children
  3. C
    park, and the children
  4. D
    park. The children

Answer

The correct version is 'park, the children' (represented by the option to make no changes) because it properly uses a comma to separate the introductory dependent clause from the main independent clause.
The correct version properly uses a comma to separate the introductory dependent clause from the main independent clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the boundary between the introductory clause and the main clause.
The clause 'While the volunteers cleaned the park' is a dependent clause, and 'the children planted flowers near the entrance' is the main independent clause.
The word 'While' is a subordinating conjunction, making the first clause dependent.
2
Determine the correct punctuation to join an introductory dependent clause to an independent clause.
A comma must be used at the end of the introductory dependent clause.
Standard English conventions require a comma after introductory clauses to prevent confusion.
3
Evaluate the choices based on this punctuation rule.
The option containing the comma and no extra conjunctions or incorrect end marks is correct.
Other options introduce errors such as fragmenting the dependent clause with a semicolon or period, or rendering the sentence incomplete with a coordinating conjunction.

Key Concept

Using commas to separate introductory dependent clauses from main clauses
Estimated Time:45s
Rate this question

Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

More questions from this topic