Using Resources and Reference Materials for Editing
Question 7 • ELA 11B-CR
Read the sentence.Conservationists are considering urban runoff and they are tracking population growth but the magnitude of the situation has not been determined.According to The Elements of Style, what is the correct way to punctuate this sentence?
Answer
A
Conservationists are considering urban runoff and they are tracking population growth, but the magnitude of the situation has not been determined.
B
Conservationists are considering urban runoff, and they are tracking population growth but, the magnitude of the situation has not been determined.
C
Conservationists are considering urban runoff, and they are tracking population growth, but the magnitude of the situation has not been determined.
D
no change
Explanation
The sentence has three independent clauses: “Conservationists are considering urban runoff,” “they are tracking population growth,” and “the magnitude of the situation has not been determined.” When independent clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions, place a comma before each conjunction. Choice C correctly places commas before both “and” and “but.”
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.