Question 9

D: After discovering that the football was flat, Andy decided to play tennis.

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Option D exemplifies this structure by featuring the independent clause "Andy decided to play tennis" and the dependent clause "After discovering that the football was flat."

A) The hawk swooped down to catch its prey.

This option is a simple sentence as it contains only one independent clause without any dependent clauses. It does not meet the criteria for a complex sentence.

B) Everyone agreed that the wedding was beautiful.

Option B is a complex sentence because it contains a main clause ("Everyone agreed") and a noun clause ("that the wedding was beautiful") acting as the object of the verb. However, it is not the correct answer as the question specifically asks for the best example of a complex sentence.

C) Samantha came to the party, but she didn't stay long.

This option is a compound sentence as it contains two independent clauses connected by the conjunction "but." It does not include any dependent clauses and therefore does not qualify as a complex sentence.

D) After discovering that the football was flat, Andy decided to play tennis.

This option is the correct answer because it combines an independent clause with a dependent clause. The phrase "After discovering that the football was flat" provides additional information but cannot stand alone, which is the hallmark of a complex sentence.

Conclusion

Option D is definitively the correct answer as it illustrates the structure of a complex sentence, combining both an independent and a dependent clause. Options A and C fail to meet the criteria entirely, while Option B, despite being a complex sentence, does not serve as the best example in this context.