Which of the following is a complex sentence?
Responses
The family made sure they packed warm clothes before their trip up north.
Her brother said they would be boring, but he absolutely loved them.
Ellie wants to go back and eventually live in the mountains someday.
Ellie had been to the mountains, but her brother had never seen them.
Ellie had been to the mountains, but her brother had never seen them.
The family made sure they packed warm clothes before their trip up north.
The complex sentence is: "Ellie had been to the mountains, but her brother had never seen them."
To determine which of the following is a complex sentence, we need to understand what a complex sentence is. A complex sentence is a sentence that consists of an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, while a dependent clause cannot.
Let's analyze each option:
1. "The family made sure they packed warm clothes before their trip up north."
This sentence contains only one independent clause, "The family made sure they packed warm clothes", so it is not a complex sentence.
2. "Her brother said they would be boring, but he absolutely loved them."
This sentence contains two independent clauses, "Her brother said they would be boring" and "he absolutely loved them", connected by the coordinating conjunction "but". Therefore, it is not a complex sentence.
3. "Ellie wants to go back and eventually live in the mountains someday."
This sentence contains only one independent clause, "Ellie wants to go back and eventually live in the mountains someday", so it is not a complex sentence.
4. "Ellie had been to the mountains, but her brother had never seen them."
This sentence contains two independent clauses, "Ellie had been to the mountains" and "her brother had never seen them", connected by the coordinating conjunction "but". Therefore, it is a complex sentence.
Based on this analysis, the correct answer is option 4: "Ellie had been to the mountains, but her brother had never seen them."