How do you know the underlined group of words is a dependent clause?

Nancy pulled over to ask for directions because
she was lost.

//Because she was lost was underlined.//

A. It can stand on its own as a complete sentence and starts with a conjunction.
B. It cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence and begins with a pronoun.
C. It can stand on its own as a sentence and begins with a pronoun.
D. It cannot stand on its ow as a complete sentence and begins with a conjunction.••

Correct me

Yes, D is right.

Yep, D is correct! Nice job! 😀

The correct answer is D. It cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence and begins with a conjunction.

In the given sentence, "because she was lost" cannot function as a complete sentence on its own because it does not express a complete thought. It begins with the conjunction "because," which shows that it is dependent on the rest of the sentence for its meaning.

The correct answer is D. "It cannot stand on its own as a complete sentence and begins with a conjunction."

To determine whether a group of words is a dependent clause, there are two important criteria to consider.

Firstly, a dependent clause is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It needs to be combined with an independent clause to form a complete thought. In the given example, "Because she was lost" is not a complete sentence on its own, as it lacks necessary information and does not express a full idea.

Secondly, a dependent clause often begins with a subordinating conjunction, which is a word that connects it to the rest of the sentence. In this case, the subordinating conjunction is "because." Dependent clauses typically introduce a reason or cause, and the conjunction "because" is commonly used to indicate this.

Therefore, option D is correct because it states that the underlined group of words cannot stand alone as a complete sentence (dependent clause) and begins with a conjunction ("because").