Question

which of the following is written correctly?

in june 1776, thomas jefferson wrote the first draft of the declaration of independence, and it was formally adopted by congress on july 4 of that year
in june 1776, thomas jefferson wrote the first draft of the declaration of independence, it was formally adopted by congress on july 4 of that year
in june 1776, thomas jefferson wrote the first draft of the declaration of independence that was formally adopted by congress on july 4 of that year
in june 1776, thomas jefferson wrote the first draft of the declaration of independence, it was formally adopted by congress, on july 4 of that year

Explanation:

Analyze the sentence structures

The sentence consists of two main clauses:

1. "In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence" (Independent clause)
2. "it was formally adopted by Congress on July 4 of that year" (Independent clause)

Evaluate each option

• Option 1: Joins two independent clauses with a comma and a coordinating conjunction (", and"). This is grammatically correct.
• Option 2: Joins two independent clauses with only a comma. This is a comma splice error.
• Option 3: Lacks proper punctuation/conjunction to connect the clauses correctly, creating a run-on structure.
• Option 4: Uses a comma splice and adds an unnecessary comma after "Congress".

Answer:

• (A) In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, and it was formally adopted by Congress on July 4 of that year (Correct answer)
• (B) In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, it was formally adopted by Congress on July 4 of that year
• (C) In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence that was formally adopted by Congress on July 4 of that year
• (D) In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, it was formally adopted by Congress, on July 4 of that year