Which of the following sentences demonstrates correct grammar and usage?

A complex sentence is one that contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

In Choice C: "Since time was running short, I hurriedly brushed my teeth while breakfast was warming up," we have an independent clause: "I hurriedly brushed my teeth," and a dependent clause: "Since time was running short." The dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence, so it depends on the independent clause for its meaning. This combination of an independent and dependent clause makes Choice C a complex sentence.

The other choices are not complex sentences because they either lack a dependent clause or do not have the same level of complexity in their structure.

This is because generating ideas is often the first step in the writing process, whether it's brainstorming, outlining, or freewriting. Before any other actions can take place, the writer needs to have a clear sense of what they want to communicate and how they want to structure their writing.

This sentence correctly uses a comma before "so" to connect two ideas. The other sentences have missing or incorrect punctuation.

This sentence is spelled correctly. The other choices have mistakes: "hear" instead of "here," "price" instead of "prize," and "harestyles" instead of "hairstyles."

The sentence "He liked to cook at home, but she preferred to eat at restaurants." correctly uses a compound sentence structure. It consists of two independent clauses "He liked to cook at home" and "she preferred to eat at restaurants" joined by the coordinating conjunction "but".

It follows all the rules of punctuation compared to the rest.

Proofreading is the final step, where you check for spelling and grammar mistakes. The other steps happen earlier in the writing process.

The sentence that demonstrates proper subject-verb agreement is D. "Physics is a difficult subject to learn." In this sentence, the singular subject "Physics" agrees with the singular verb "is."

The sentence written correctly is: "The lizard has the ability to alter its coloration to blend in with the foliage." The word "alter" is spelled correctly, and the pronoun "its" is used correctly to show possession. The word "altar" in options B and D is a different word that means a raised platform used for religious or ceremonial purposes, and the word "it's" in option B is a contraction of "it is," which does not make sense in the context of the sentence.

Choice B: "Whenever the boys played in the rain, they came home with muddy clothes."

This is a complex sentence. "Whenever the boys played in the rain" is a dependent clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete thought, and "they came home with muddy clothes" is an independent clause because it can stand alone. The sentence does not contain two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (which would make it a compound sentence).

Choice D: "She wanted to go to the beach after she left work."

This is also a complex sentence. "She wanted to go to the beach" is an independent clause, and "after she left work" is a dependent clause because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.

To clarify:

• Complex sentence: Contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
• Compound sentence: Contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (like "and," "but," or "or").

Thus, both B and D are complex sentences, but B is the most accurate answer in many tests as it clearly demonstrates the use of a dependent clause ("Whenever the boys played in the rain") followed by an independent clause.