Hello, could you please help me with a few questions I have with English?
Directions: Classify this sentence as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.
1. She thought she saw a stranger, but he turned out to be her neighbor who was back from vacation early.
I know it's either complex or compound-complex... but I'm not exactly sure.. I think it would be just complex though?
Directions: What is the error in this sentence, if there is any?
2. While running, the sun set.
It's either: incorrect punctuation or dangling modifier.. and I think it's dangling modifier (because it doesn't state who's running, correct?)
Directions: In the following sentence identify the main clause. Find the subordinate clause and tell if it is used as noun, adjective, or adverb.
3. Most of the teachers are Americans, though a few come from England and France.
Main clause: Most of the teachers are Americans
Subordinate clause type: noun
Directions: Identify the use of the italicized noun clause.
4. I found [what I was looking for in my purse.]
Answer: Direct object
Directions: Identify the word(s) that the italicized adverb clause modifies.
The bus will pick up the children when school is out.
modified word: pick?
(Before I had put "pick up" as my answer, but it was incorrect.. so I'm thinking they are just looking for one word?)
If you could look over my work, it would be much appreciated! Thanks loves! :)
1. It's not complex because a complex sentence has an independent clause and a subordinate clause.
2. Right.
3. Your clause identification is right, but you haven't classified the subordinate clause correctly.
4. Right.
5. Right.
1. The sentence "She thought she saw a stranger, but he turned out to be her neighbor who was back from vacation early" is a compound-complex sentence. It contains two independent clauses ("She thought she saw a stranger" and "he turned out to be her neighbor who was back from vacation early") connected by a coordinating conjunction ("but") and a subordinate clause ("who was back from vacation early").
2. The error in the sentence "While running, the sun set" is a dangling modifier. The phrase "While running" does not clearly modify any specific noun or pronoun in the sentence. It could be corrected by specifying the subject of the participle phrase, for example, "While I was running, the sun set."
3. The main clause in the sentence "Most of the teachers are Americans, though a few come from England and France" is "Most of the teachers are Americans." The subordinate clause "though a few come from England and France" is used as an adverb clause, providing additional information about the main clause.
4. The italicized noun clause "what I was looking for in my purse" is used as a direct object in the sentence "I found [what I was looking for in my purse]."
5. The italicized adverb clause "when school is out" modifies the verb "pick up" in the sentence "The bus will pick up the children when school is out." It provides information about when the action of picking up the children will occur.
1. The sentence "She thought she saw a stranger, but he turned out to be her neighbor who was back from vacation early" is a compound-complex sentence. This is because it contains two independent clauses ("She thought she saw a stranger" and "he turned out to be her neighbor who was back from vacation early") joined by the coordinating conjunction "but," as well as a dependent clause ("who was back from vacation early") that acts as an adverbial clause modifying the independent clause "he turned out to be her neighbor." So your initial instinct was correct!
2. The error in the sentence "While running, the sun set" is a dangling modifier. The phrase "while running" is a participial phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier, but it is not clearly connected to the subject of the main clause. To fix this error, you could rephrase the sentence to something like "While I was running, the sun set."
3. In the sentence "Most or the teachers are Americans, though a few come from England and France," the main clause is "Most of the teachers are Americans." The subordinate clause "though a few come from England and France" acts as an adverbial clause, specifically as a concessive adverbial clause, indicating contrast or opposition.
4. In the sentence "I found [what I was looking for in my purse]," the italicized noun clause "what I was looking for in my purse" functions as the direct object of the verb "found." So you got it right, it is indeed a direct object.
5. The italicized adverb clause in the sentence "The bus will pick up the children when school is out" modifies the verb "pick up." The adverb clause "when school is out" answers the question "When will the bus pick up the children?" and indicates the timing of the action. So, your answer "pick" is correct.