Questions: Which sentence draws attention equally to both clauses? Colleen had been training for six months; she was ready to run the marathon. Before she ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday, Colleen trained for six months. After she trained for six months, Colleen ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday. Colleen, who had trained for six months, ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday.

The answer is: Colleen had been training for six months; she was ready to run the marathon.

Explanation for each option:

1. Colleen had been training for six months; she was ready to run the marathon.

   • This sentence uses a semicolon to connect two independent clauses, giving equal weight to both the fact that Colleen had been training for six months and that she was ready to run the marathon. The semicolon effectively balances the two clauses.

2. Before she ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday, Colleen trained for six months.

   • This sentence places more emphasis on the marathon by mentioning it first and then providing the context of the training. The structure makes the marathon the primary focus, with the training as a secondary detail.

3. After she trained for six months, Colleen ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday.

   • Similar to the previous sentence, this one emphasizes the marathon by placing it at the end. The training is presented as a precursor to the main event, which is the marathon.

4. Colleen, who had trained for six months, ran a marathon on her fiftieth birthday.

   • This sentence uses a non-restrictive clause to provide additional information about Colleen's training. The main focus is on the marathon, with the training mentioned as supplementary information.

In summary, the first sentence ("Colleen had been training for six months; she was ready to run the marathon.") is the one that draws attention equally to both clauses.