13. One of the following sentences contains an independent clause and a dependent clause, which makes it a complex sentence. Which is the complex sentence?
A. I came home; I saw an envelope in the mailbox.
[B. After the rain ended, the sky became blue.]
C. I hesitated a moment, but her smile gave me courage.
D. Jenny was the largest elephant in the circus.
Right.
To identify the complex sentence among the options, we need to understand the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause.
An independent clause is a group of words that can stand alone as a complete sentence and express a complete thought. It contains a subject and a predicate.
A dependent clause, on the other hand, is a group of words that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it doesn't express a complete thought. It relies on an independent clause to form a complete sentence.
Now let's analyze the sentences:
A. "I came home; I saw an envelope in the mailbox." This sentence contains two independent clauses, but it doesn't have a dependent clause. It is a compound sentence.
B. "After the rain ended, the sky became blue." This sentence contains an independent clause ("the sky became blue") and a dependent clause ("After the rain ended"). Therefore, it is a complex sentence.
C. "I hesitated a moment, but her smile gave me courage." This sentence is a compound sentence with two independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction "but." It doesn't have a dependent clause.
D. "Jenny was the largest elephant in the circus." This sentence is a simple sentence with just one independent clause.
So, the correct answer is B. "After the rain ended, the sky became blue."