Complex Sentences and Dependent Clauses

Which of the following best describes a dependent clause?

• A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

• A clause that contains only a verb and no subject.

• A clause that begins a thought but does not finish it, requiring more information for complete meaning.

• A clause that always expresses a complete unit of thought.

What is the primary purpose of a subordinating conjunction?

• To connect two independent clauses.

• To express strong emotions or exclamations.

• To link a dependent clause to an independent clause and indicate their relationship.

• To act as a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

What is the typical structure of a complex sentence?

• One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses.

• Two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.

• One dependent clause only.

• Two or more dependent clauses.

When a dependent clause appears at the beginning of a complex sentence, what punctuation is required to separate it from the independent clause?

• A semicolon

• A comma

• No punctuation

• A colon

Is the sentence "Because my pet lion attacked the mailman, no one received their mail." grammatically correct?

• Yes, it is a complex sentence starting with a dependent clause and correctly punctuated.

• No, it should not start with "Because".

• No, there should be no comma after "mailman".

• Yes, but it is a simple sentence.