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Standard English ConventionsMediumComma after a dependent clause

Standard English Conventions practice question

Because the excavation ____ before the rainy season, the team was able to document the mosaic floor before groundwater returned.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. began,Correct
  2. B. began
  3. C. began;
  4. D. began.

Answer: A. began,

The dependent clause 'Because the excavation began before the rainy season' is followed by a comma, then the main clause.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. began
A long opening dependent clause takes a comma before the main clause.
C. began;
A semicolon cannot follow a dependent clause that is not a sentence.
D. began.
A period would strand the dependent clause as a fragment.

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