(1) Brenda would have liked to have taken her vacation at the beach. (2) However, the weather forecast on the television called for rain. (3) Also, her fiancé, Max, wanted to vacation in the mountains. (4) After a heated discussion, Brenda and Max decided to compromise. (5) They would spend their vacation time at Spring Lake. (6) That way, Jack could fish and Brenda could enjoy swimming.
16. In sentence 4, what is "After a heated discussion"?
A. A dependent clause
B. A prepositional phrase
C. An adjective phrase
D. An independent clause
And you think it's ... ?
To determine the answer to this question, we need to understand the different types of clauses and phrases.
1. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
2. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that starts with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. It modifies a noun or verb in the sentence.
3. An adjective phrase is a group of words that functions as an adjective to describe a noun or pronoun.
4. An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence.
Now let's analyze the sentence: "After a heated discussion, Brenda and Max decided to compromise."
The phrase "After a heated discussion" begins with a preposition "after" and ends with a noun "discussion." It modifies the verb "decided." This makes option B - "A prepositional phrase" - the correct answer.