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Difficulty: EasySentence Fragments

Many modern astronomers study the lifecycle of stars. Because understanding how these stellar engines function can reveal the origins of the universe.

Which of the following choices is the best replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    stars; because understanding
  3. C
    stars, understanding
  4. stars because understandingAnswer

Answer

The correct answer is the choice that connects the two clauses into a single sentence by removing the punctuation and using the lowercase subordinating conjunction 'because' without any commas or semicolons.
The correct choice removes the punctuation and lowercases the conjunction 'because', which correctly joins the independent clause to the dependent clause to form a single, grammatically correct sentence without unnecessary punctuation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the two clauses in the original sentence.
The first clause is independent, but the second clause begins with the subordinating conjunction 'because', making it a dependent clause.
Recognizing that a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence identifies the second clause in the original text as a sentence fragment.
2
Evaluate the punctuation needed to connect the clauses.
A dependent adverbial clause that follows an independent clause should be joined directly without any punctuation like a comma, semicolon, or period.
Using a period or semicolon creates a fragment error, while removing the conjunction entirely and using a comma creates a comma splice.

Key Concept

Sentence Fragments
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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