Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSentence Fragments

Mycelial networks in temperate rainforests act as underground communication channels, connecting trees and sharing essential nutrients. While these fungal threads stretch across vast areas of the forest floor. They play a crucial role in maintaining forest health.

Which of the following options is the best correction for the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    Although these fungal threads stretch across vast areas of the forest floor; they
  3. C
    These fungal threads stretch across vast areas of the forest floor, they
  4. Stretching across vast areas of the forest floor, these fungal threadsAnswer

Answer

The option that changes the construction to 'Stretching across vast areas of the forest floor, these fungal threads' is correct because it uses a modifying participial phrase followed by a comma and a complete independent clause, resolving the fragment without creating a comma splice or semicolon error.
The correct option is the phrase beginning with 'Stretching across...' because it changes the fragmented dependent clause into an introductory participial phrase that modifies 'these fungal threads'. This links the ideas together in a single, grammatically correct sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion and surrounding context to identify grammatical errors.
The original text features a dependent clause beginning with the subordinating conjunction 'While' that is punctuated as a complete sentence, which constitutes a sentence fragment.
Recognizing sentence boundaries and independent vs. dependent clauses is the first step in resolving sentence structure issues.
2
Evaluate the options to eliminate choices that introduce new grammatical errors.
The option containing the semicolon after the dependent clause beginning with 'Although' creates a semicolon fragment, while the option joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice.
Eliminating grammatically incorrect distractors ensures the chosen option adheres to standard conventions of punctuation and sentence structure.
3
Identify the option that correctly establishes a complete, cohesive sentence.
The correct option uses a participial phrase to introduce the subject, resulting in a single, well-structured independent clause.
The correct structure integrates the introductory information smoothly as a modifier, forming a complete sentence.

Key Concept

Identifying and correcting sentence fragments, comma splices, and semicolon fragments to ensure correct sentence structure.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Sentence Fragments

More questions from this topic