Identify the sentence that is correctly punctuated.
A. Clara did not study very much for her biology test, therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.
B. Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore she guessed at many of the answers.
C. Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.
D. Clara did not study very much for her biology test, therefore; she guessed at many of the answers.
A
The correct answer is
C:
Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.
Oh, Clara, Clara! Guessing at answers because you didn't study? Talk about living life on the edge! But unfortunately, sentence A is not the correct choice. Keep guessing!
To identify the sentence that is correctly punctuated, we need to analyze the options provided.
A. Clara did not study very much for her biology test, therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.
B. Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore she guessed at many of the answers.
C. Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.
D. Clara did not study very much for her biology test, therefore; she guessed at many of the answers.
In sentence A, there is a comma after "therefore." However, using both a comma and a semicolon before and after "therefore" is not correct for this sentence structure.
In sentence B, a semicolon is used correctly to separate the two related independent clauses. However, there is no comma after "therefore."
In sentence C, a semicolon is used correctly, and there is a comma after "therefore," which is essential for correct punctuation.
In sentence D, a comma is used before the semicolon. However, the comma should not be included in this location.
Therefore, the correctly punctuated sentence is C. Clara did not study very much for her biology test; therefore, she guessed at many of the answers.