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Difficulty: EasySubordination and Coordination

Honeybees perform a complex 'waggle dance' to communicate the location of food sources to their hive mates. Although this dance is highly precise. It relies on the angle of the sun to indicate direction.

Which of the following is the most grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    Although this dance is highly precise. It
  2. Although this dance is highly precise, itAnswer
  3. C
    Although this dance is highly precise; it
  4. D
    This dance is highly precise, it

Answer

The correct option is the one that uses a comma to connect the subordinating dependent clause to the main independent clause: 'Although this dance is highly precise, it'.
The correct answer correctly joins the introductory dependent clause ('Although this dance is highly precise') with the main independent clause ('it relies on the angle of the sun') using a comma, establishing a proper subordinate relationship.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause types in the sentence.
The clause 'Although this dance is highly precise' is a dependent clause because it begins with the subordinating conjunction 'Although'. The clause 'it relies on the angle of the sun to indicate direction' is an independent clause.
Determining clause types is necessary to apply the correct punctuation rules for combining clauses.
2
Select the correct punctuation to join the dependent clause and the independent clause.
When a dependent clause starts a sentence, it must be joined to the independent clause with a comma.
A comma avoids creating a sentence fragment (as caused by a period or semicolon) or a comma splice (as caused by removing the subordinating conjunction).

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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