16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardSemicolons in a list whose items contain commas

Standard English Conventions practice question

The tour visits three cities: Lyon, ____ Turin, Italy; and Geneva, Switzerland.

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

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

Answer: A. France;

When list items contain commas, semicolons separate the items; the other items already use them.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. France,
A comma makes "France, Turin" look like one item.
C. France
No separator at all.
D. France:
A colon does not separate list items.

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