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Difficulty: EasySubordination and Coordination

The following passage is about urban planning:

Urban planners must balance a city's historical preservation with its need for modernization. While historic buildings provide a community with character and a sense of identity, they often require expensive retrofitting to meet modern safety codes.

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

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    Historic buildings provide a community with character and a sense of identity,
  3. C
    While historic buildings provide a community with character and a sense of identity;
  4. D
    Although historic buildings providing a community with character and a sense of identity,

Answer

The original phrasing is correct because it uses the subordinating conjunction 'While' to create a dependent clause, which is correctly joined to the main independent clause using a comma.
The original sentence correctly pairs the subordinating conjunction 'While' with a conjugated verb ('provide') to form a dependent clause. Since the dependent clause comes first, it is properly separated from the main independent clause by a comma, establishing a logical relationship of contrast.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the two clauses in the sentence.
The first clause ('While historic buildings provide a community with character and a sense of identity') is a dependent clause because it begins with the subordinating conjunction 'While'. The second clause ('they often require expensive retrofitting to meet modern safety codes') is an independent clause.
Understanding clause boundaries helps determine the correct punctuation and conjunctions needed to connect them.
2
Evaluate the grammar and punctuation connecting the clauses.
A dependent clause preceding an independent clause must be separated by a comma, not a semicolon or a coordinating conjunction alone.
Proper subordination rules require a comma when a dependent clause comes first.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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