16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardSemicolons in a list with internal commas

Standard English Conventions practice question

The relay teams were Ana, Priya, and ____ Tom, Lee, and Sam; and Kit, Jo, and Ravi.

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

  1. A. Dev;Correct
  2. B. Dev,
  3. C. Dev:
  4. D. Dev

Answer: A. Dev;

Items that contain commas are separated by semicolons.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Dev,
A comma leaves the teams indistinguishable from the names.
C. Dev:
A colon doesn't separate list items.
D. Dev
Nothing marks the end of the first team.

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