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Difficulty: EasySubordination and Coordination

Beneath the forest floor, a complex network of fungal threads connects individual trees. These fungi provide trees with essential nutrients, and they receive sugars in return.

Which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. These fungi provide trees with essential nutrients, andAnswer
  2. B
    These fungi provide trees with essential nutrients,
  3. C
    Because these fungi provide trees with essential nutrients;
  4. D
    Since these fungi provide trees with essential nutrients.

Answer

The correct choice is the original phrasing, which uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction 'and' to join two independent clauses.
The sentence contains two independent clauses: 'These fungi provide trees with essential nutrients' and 'they receive sugars in return.' To connect two independent clauses, we must use a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (like 'and'), a semicolon, or split them into two sentences. The original phrasing correctly uses a comma and 'and' to join them, maintaining grammatical correctness and logical flow.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structure of the sentence.
The sentence consists of two clauses: 'These fungi provide trees with essential nutrients' and 'they receive sugars in return.' Both are independent clauses because they can stand alone as complete thoughts.
Knowing the types of clauses helps determine the appropriate punctuation and conjunctions needed to join them.
2
Evaluate the options for connecting two independent clauses.
Two independent clauses can be joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (such as 'and'), a semicolon, or separated into two sentences. The original text uses ', and' which is grammatically correct and logically sound.
This helps identify correct coordination and eliminates options that violate punctuation rules, such as comma splices or fragments.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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