Which one of the following sentences is correctly punctuated?

Question

Pursuing a college degree takes a great deal of self-discipline and hard work, therefore those who are successful at it are sought after by employers.
Pursuing a college degree takes a great deal of self-discipline and hard work therefore those who are successful at it are sought after by employers.
Pursuing a college degree takes a great deal of self-discipline and hard work;therefore, those who are successful at it are sought after by employers.
Pursuing a college degree takes a great deal of self-discipline and hard work, therefore, those who are successful at it are sought after by employers.
Thank you & God Bless breeze

Answer 1

the middle one with the semi-colon

Answer 2

Pursuing a college degree takes a great deal of self-discipline and hard work; therefore, those who are successful at it are sought after by employers.

Answer 3

I would vote for the third one, with the semicolon. The two phrases could be stated as two separate sentences, so a semicolon is proper to join them as one sentence. Personally, I would not place the comma after "therefore," but it is not incorrect to do so.
The fourth sentence is not correct because with a comma after "work" there is no need for a comma after "therefore."
The second sentence is not correct because some form of punctuation is needed to mark where the reader should pause.
I do not feel the first sentence is as well punctuated as the third, since in my opinion the semicolon is better than a comma after "work" for showing the independence of the two phrases.

Answer 4

I agree with geo1944: definitely the third one.

The semi-colon is used similarly to a comma: to provide a break between clauses. A semi-colon gives a slightly longer pause than a comma; which makes the sentence easier to read.

I'm not sure if this is entirely accurate, as it's a long time since I studied punctuation, but I was told that colons (:) and semi-colons (;) imply that the bit that comes after is a sort of "explanation" for the bit before. Use a semi-colon after a "joining" word such as therefore, which, or that, and a colon to introduce an explanation without using one of those words. (see below)

Usually, both of these punctuation marks are used in sentences that could be written as two separate sentences, but by putting these symbols in, we imply that there is a link between the two parts.

i.e.
- The semi-colon is used similarly to a comma: to provide a break between clauses.

could also be written as:

- The semi-colon is used similarly to a comma. It provides a break between clauses.

And:

- A semi-colon gives a slightly longer pause than a comma; which makes the sentence easier to read.

could also be written as:

- A semi-colon gives a slightly longer pause than a comma. This makes the sentence easier to read.

Hope that makes sense! This website describes it a bit better I think!

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/colons.htm

Also this:

http://www.gcse.com/english/punctuation.htm

Answer 5

D. word how in A, there is not any comma isolating the prices from some thing else of the sentence. B, the author does not choose prices round his call, basically the artwork. C. No close prices.

Answer 6

The FIRST one.

Answer 7

The first one. Try replacing 'therefore' in your mind with the word 'so' as you read it. 'So' means the same thing as 'therefore' and is grammatically in the same class as 'therefore'.

God Bless

Answer 8

The last one.

Answer 9

The first one has the correct punctuation, though the grammar is a bit suspect (those who are successful at it)

Answer 10

Number 4. You need a comma both sides of 'therefore' but not a semi-colon. I would also omit 'at it' as I think it would read better.

Answer 11

I'd use the first.

Semicolons are a matter of personal choice!

Second one is too long without punctuation.
Third one is OK.
Last one has too many commas and doesn't read very well.

Overall, the second is worst but none are actually wrong.

happy holidays!