Question #N696
The following text is adapted from a novel about a young woman named Lena who struggles with being perceived as different from others. "I used to try to make myself smaller," Lena says, "but now I just try to be me." The text goes on to describe Lena’s realization that she doesn’t need to change herself to fit in with others. What is the most likely reason the author uses a comma after “smaller”?
The comma after “smaller” is used to
A. separate two independent clauses in a compound sentence.
B. set off a nonrestrictive adjective clause.
C. indicate the end of a dependent clause.
D. separate two words in a series.
Correct Answer is: C
The clause “but now I just try to be me” is a dependent clause, which means that it relies on the independent clause “I used to try to make myself smaller” to be a complete sentence. The comma after “smaller” indicates the end of the dependent clause.