College Composition / Unit 8 CMP 0177 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Semicolons in Complex Lists
Captions available
The idea
Use semicolons between items in a series when the items already contain commas.
In practice
"The finalists are Michael, who won the essay contest; Sasha, the top debater; and Giselle, who directed the play." The semicolons show where each item ends.
Where people slip
This is the one place a semicolon separates items that are not independent clauses.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Unlocks
- Nothing yet depends on this.
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