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:

• The first option uses a coordinating conjunction "and" with a comma to correctly connect two independent clauses (complete sentences) without creating a run-on sentence.
• The second option is a comma splice: it joins two independent clauses with only a comma, which is grammatically incorrect.
• The third option uses "that" incorrectly, as it illogically implies the draft Jefferson wrote was already the formally adopted version, which is not accurate (the draft was revised before adoption).
• The fourth option misuses a semicolon: the phrase after the semicolon is not an independent clause, so a semicolon is inappropriate here.

Answer:

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.