Punctuation & Clauses Practice

Which of the following is a dependent clause?

• Because she was late to school

• She was late to school

• She was late, but she caught up quickly

• Running to catch the bus

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'Because she was late to school' as it is a dependent clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Identify the subordinating conjunction in the following sentence: "Although he was tired, he finished his homework."

• Although

• Was

• He

• Finished

Answer explanation

The subordinating conjunction in the sentence is 'Although' as it introduces the dependent clause 'he was tired'.

Which of the following is a compound sentence?

• She runs every morning.

• Because she likes to stay healthy, she runs every morning.

• She runs every morning, and she swims in the evening.

• Running is her favorite activity because it helps her stay healthy.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'She runs every morning, and she swims in the evening.' because it contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, making it a compound sentence.

Choose the option that correctly forms a complex sentence.

• She studied hard for the exam, so she passed with flying colors.

• She studied hard for the exam because she wanted to pass with flying colors.

• She studied hard and passed the exam.

• She studied hard for the exam; she wanted to pass with flying colors.

Answer explanation

The correct choice forms a complex sentence by combining two independent clauses with a subordinating conjunction 'because.' It shows the cause and effect relationship between studying hard and wanting to pass with flying colors.

Identify the run-on sentence.

• She loves to read, she goes to the library every week.

• She loves to read; she goes to the library every week.

• Because she loves to read, she goes to the library every week.

• She loves to read. She goes to the library every week.

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'She loves to read, she goes to the library every week.' This is a run-on sentence as it combines two independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunction.

How can the run-on sentence in Question 5 be corrected?

• She loves to read she goes to the library every week.

• She loves to read. She goes to the library every week.

• She loves to read, because she goes to the library every week.

• She loves to read, she goes to the library every week.

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'She loves to read. She goes to the library every week.' This choice correctly separates the run-on sentence into two complete sentences, improving clarity and readability.

Which of the following is NOT a subordinating conjunction?

• Because

• And

• Although

• Unless

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'And' because it is a coordinating conjunction, not a subordinating conjunction like the other options.

Choose the sentence that correctly uses a dependent clause.

• She sings beautifully and dances gracefully.

• After he finished his homework, he went to bed.

• She sings and dances.

• He went to bed after he finished his homework.

Answer explanation

The correct sentence 'After he finished his homework, he went to bed' contains a dependent clause 'After he finished his homework' which cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

Which of the following sentences is a compound-complex sentence?

• She finished her homework, and then she went to bed early.

• After she finished her homework, she went to bed early.

• After she finished her homework, she went to bed early, and she woke up refreshed.

• She finished her homework and went to bed early.

Answer explanation

The correct sentence is a compound-complex sentence as it contains multiple independent clauses and at least one dependent clause, making it more complex than the other options.

How can you fix the following run-on sentence? "He loves to play basketball he plays every day."

• He loves to play basketball. He plays every day.

• He loves to play basketball, he plays every day.

• He loves to play basketball; because he plays every day.

• He loves to play basketball, for he plays every day.

Answer explanation

The correct choice separates the run-on sentence into two complete sentences, fixing the error in punctuation and structure.