ACT Preparation / Unit 2 ACT 0120 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Series With Commas Inside
The idea
To punctuate a crowded series, work in three steps. First, list the items and find any that holds its own comma, such as a city with a state or a name with a job. Second, if any item holds an internal comma, separate every item with a semicolon, including the last, before the final and. Third, keep the internal commas where they are, inside each item.
In practice
Worked example: "The panel included Ana Ruiz, a nurse, Tom Bell, a pilot, and Jo Kim, a teacher." Read with commas only, the panel could be three people or six. Ana Ruiz, a nurse, is one item with an internal comma, so semicolons separate the items: "The panel included Ana Ruiz, a nurse; Tom Bell, a pilot; and Jo Kim, a teacher." Now the panel has three members, each named with a job.
Where people slip
Switching to semicolons is all or nothing. A series with semicolons between some items and commas between others has lost the signal that tells items apart.
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