Question

Rewrite this complex sentence as two simple sentences. Dennis washed his hands because they were muddy.

Answer 1

Dennis' hands were muddy. He washed them. (does that work?)

Answer 2

The sentence above could be rewritten as follows: Dennis washed his hands. They were muddy.

Step-by-step explanation:

A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. An independent clause, unlike a dependent one, can stand alone as a sentence because it represents a complete thought (a). A fails to stand alone as a sentence because it does not represent a complete idea.

When you separate the clauses in two different simple sentences, both of them become independent (b, c) and can therefore stand alone as a sentence.

a) *Because they were muddy

b) Dennis washed his hands

c) They were muddy