Question

Read the compound sentence.

Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant with the secret formula but she was afraid her assistant was a spy.



Which is the correct way to punctuate the sentence?


Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant with the secret formula; but she was afraid her assistant was a spy.

Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant, with the secret formula: but she was afraid her assistant was a spy.

Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant with the secret formula but, she was afraid her assistant was a spy.

Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant with the secret formula, but she was afraid her assistant was a spy

Answer 1

The correct answer would be the fourth one. If you read it aloud, it sounds about right.

Answer 2

The correct way to punctuate the sentence is just as the following sentence: Dr. Burke wanted to trust her assistant with the secret formula, but she was afraid her assistant was a spy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence above is the correct choice because it contains a comma before the coordinating conjunction. When two independent clauses are joined with a coordinating conjunction, a comma is required before the conjunction. Without the comma, the sentence is a run-on sentence.