Question

read the paragraph. last night i was startled. a raccoon crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house. it couldnt escape, and it hissed at me when i was taking out the trash. i was so surprised that i ran back into the house! i was relieved when a park ranger was able to rescue the raccoon and return it to its natural habitat. which revision best uses a phrase to combine the first two sentences? startling me, a raccoon crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house last night. a raccoon last night startled me when it crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house. last night, when it crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house, a raccoon startled me. last night, i was startled by a raccoon that had crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house.

Explanation:

The first option "Startling me, a raccoon crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house last night." uses a present - participle phrase "Startling me" to combine the idea of being startled with the action of the raccoon crawling into the trash can. This is an effective way to merge the two sentences as it shows the cause - effect relationship between the raccoon's action and the speaker's reaction in a concise manner. The other options either do not use a phrase as effectively or have a less smooth flow.

Answer:

Startling me, a raccoon crawled into one of the trash cans behind my house last night.