Question

add a comma or semicolon if needed. otherwise, submit the text without any additional punctuation.

large, flightless dodo birds were once plentiful on the island of mauritius but sailors—
and the introduction of pigs, rats, and monkeys to the island—wiped out the dodo
population in 1681.

Explanation:

The two independent clauses "Large, flightless dodo birds were once plentiful on the island of Mauritius" and "but sailors—and the introduction of pigs, rats, and monkeys to the island—wiped out the dodo population in 1681" are connected by the conjunction "but". When a conjunction connects two independent clauses, a comma should be placed before the conjunction. So we add a comma before "but".

Step1: Identify the clauses

We have two independent clauses: "Large, flightless dodo birds were once plentiful on the island of Mauritius" and "but sailors—and the introduction of pigs, rats, and monkeys to the island—wiped out the dodo population in 1681".

Step2: Apply punctuation rule

Since the conjunction "but" is connecting two independent clauses, we place a comma before "but".

Answer:

Large, flightless dodo birds were once plentiful on the island of Mauritius, but sailors—and the introduction of pigs, rats, and monkeys to the island—wiped out the dodo population in 1681.