Question

which sentence is punctuated correctly?
(a) alex is outgoing, therefore; he makes friends easily.
(b) i usually like green vegetables; but the broccoli i ate today was terrible.
(c) it was an emergency; otherwise, i would not have called you so early in the morning.
(d) ms. scully is a great teacher; because she has been working at the school for decades.

Explanation:

To determine correct punctuation with semicolons and conjunctive adverbs/conjunctions:

• Option a: "therefore" is a conjunctive adverb. After a conjunctive adverb, a semicolon is incorrect here; a comma should follow "therefore" (or a semicolon before and a comma after, but the structure here is wrong).
• Option b: "but" is a coordinating conjunction. A semicolon should not precede a coordinating conjunction; a comma should be used instead.
• Option c: "otherwise" is a conjunctive adverb. The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses, and the comma after "otherwise" is proper.
• Option d: "because" is a subordinating conjunction. A semicolon should not be used before a subordinating conjunction; a comma is incorrect here (the clause after "because" is subordinate, so no semicolon or comma before "because" in this context).

Answer:

c. It was an emergency; otherwise, I would not have called you so early in the morning.