Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyConjunctions and Clause Structure

Which word correctly completes the sentence below?

"__________ the team had prepared extensively for the debate, they failed to convince the panel of judges."

  1. AlthoughAnswer
  2. B
    Despite
  3. C
    In spite of
  4. D
    However

Answer

The subordinating conjunction 'Although' is the correct word to complete the sentence.
The correct choice is 'Although' because it functions as a subordinating conjunction introducing a complete clause of concession ('the team had prepared extensively for the debate') to modify the main clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause structure following the blank space.
The phrase 'the team had prepared extensively for the debate' contains a subject ('the team') and a finite verb ('had prepared'), forming a full subordinate clause.
Determining whether the expression following the gap is a clause or a noun phrase dictates whether a subordinating conjunction or a preposition is required.
2
Select the grammatically appropriate connector.
'Although' is a subordinating conjunction that correctly introduces an adverbial clause of concession. Prepositions such as 'despite' and 'in spite of' cannot introduce a finite clause directly.
Only subordinating conjunctions can link a dependent clause to a main clause.

Key Concept

Subordinating Conjunctions vs. Prepositions in Concessive Clauses
Rate this question

Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

More questions from this topic