Which of the following sentences is correct?

"James arrives and, after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."

"James arrives, and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."

"James arrives and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm

Read through the examples here and let us know what you think. Concentrate on #s 2 and 3.

Not all editors would agree with my decision, but for me, this one is best.

"James arrives, and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."

I think the first sentence is correct.

I think Ms. Sue is correct.

Good luck.

To determine which sentence is correct, we can analyze the use of punctuation in each option.

The correct sentence would be: "James arrives, and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."

Explanation: In this sentence, the use of a comma before the conjunction "and" helps to separate the two independent clauses: "James arrives" and "after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed." When two independent clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction like "and," a comma is generally used before the conjunction.

Let's break down the other options:

1. "James arrives and, after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."
In this sentence, there is a comma after "and" without a preceding comma. This creates a separation between "James arrives" and "after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed." The comma should be placed before the conjunction, not after it.

2. "James arrives and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."
In this sentence, there is no comma before the conjunction "and." As previously mentioned, when two independent clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction like "and," a comma should be used before the conjunction to separate the clauses.

Therefore, the correct sentence is: "James arrives, and after a period of confusion, Mary's secret is revealed."