16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardSemicolon separating items that contain commas

Standard English Conventions practice question

The archive holds letters from Cape Town, South ____ Nairobi, Kenya; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. Africa;Correct
  2. B. Africa,
  3. C. Africa
  4. D. Africa; and

Answer: A. Africa;

Items containing commas are separated by semicolons; the pattern is set by 'Nairobi, Kenya;'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Africa,
A comma there would make 'South Africa' and 'Nairobi' look like separate list items.
C. Africa
No punctuation runs the items together.
D. Africa; and
'And' belongs only before the final item.

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