Question

read the following excerpt from a student essay. how can the writer best improve his or her grammar and mechanics?
self - expression is important, therefore, you should be yourself no matter what other people think. people might express their inner selves through music, art, or writing, through foods they eat, cook, and serve others, or through their home decor. i choose to express myself through my clothing and my hairstyle. when i was eight years old, my mother taught me how to sew, now i make all of my own clothes. i also dye my hair crazy colors, like green or blue. sometimes people stare at me and seem to wonder why i look the way i do. my answer is, \i just gotta be me!\
by adding missing commas
by punctuating the quotation correctly
by using semicolons correctly

Explanation:

The sentence “Self - expression is important, therefore, you should be yourself no matter what other people think.” has a comma - splice error. A semicolon should be used instead of the first comma before “therefore” to correctly join the two independent clauses.

Answer:

by using semicolons correctly