Question

read the excerpt.
at the beginning of the mission, since our priority was to identify the origin of the aliens signal.
what is the most accurate way to describe the excerpt?
it is a complex sentence.
it is an independent clause.
it is a dependent clause.
it is a compound sentence.

Explanation:

Analyze the structure of the excerpt

The excerpt is: "At the beginning of the mission, since our priority was to identify the origin of the alien's signal."

• "At the beginning of the mission" is a prepositional phrase.
• "since our priority was to identify the origin of the alien's signal" is a clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction "since".

Determine the clause type

Because the clause is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "since", it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It is a dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause). Since there is no independent clause attached to it, the entire excerpt is a dependent clause (and a sentence fragment), rather than a complete complex or compound sentence.

Answer:

• It is a complex sentence.
• It is an independent clause.
• It is a dependent clause. (Correct answer)
• It is a compound sentence.