Answer :
The correctly punctuated sentence is 'Tina's favorite drink is coffee; I'm giving her a gift card from Starbucks.' It uses a semicolon to connect closely related independent clauses. Commas are not suitable for joining independent clauses unless they are accompanied by a conjunction.
The sentence that is correctly punctuated is 'Tina's favorite drink is coffee; I'm giving her a gift card from Starbucks.' A semicolon is properly used here because it connects two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. The semicolon acts as a strong pause, providing a link between the two clauses without the need for a conjunction. On the other hand, commas surround non-restrictive relative clauses or separate items in a list. They cannot be used to join two independent clauses unless accompanied by a coordinating conjunction.
Now, let's apply this knowledge to correct the following sentences:
Orville was almost thirty-five; his tummy had started to stick out.
His wife worried that his eating habits were unhealthy; so, she tried to encourage him to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Orville was not as concerned; he would eat six cookies a meal without feeling guilty.
On the radio, Orville had heard that drinking green tea could help you lose weight; therefore, he decided to stop drinking coffee that very day and put his coffee machine away.
Only he didn't really stop drinking coffee; he just stopped making it at home and went to the neighborhood café instead.
The answer is the second one. Tina’s favorite drink is coffee; I’m giving her a gift card from Starbucks.
