How To Use Commas And Semicolons In A List
Semicolons are used to join two independent clauses or two complete thoughts that could stand alone as complete sentences.
How to use commas and semicolons in a list. Sleeping bag pillow pyjamas water bottle waterproof jacket. When to use a dash or dashes the dash or more specifically the em dash is perhaps the most versatile of the punctuation marks. You will need to bring the following. This list would be written like this. Using only commas it is unclear what items are being listed exactly.
Let s look at an example as that is the easiest way to understand this use of the semicolon. In that case you would not place a comma before the and that joins the final two items. For example this summary could say semicolons are useful. However like the semicolon it is underutilized in most kinds of writing. Comma use a comma after the first independent clause when you link two independent clauses with one of the following coordinating conjunctions.
We would recommend that commas be used rather than semicolons to separate the items in this list because the items themselves do not contain commas. Now look at this list. Colons are used in sentences to show that something is following like a quotation example or list. To help separate items in a list when some of those items already contain commas. That being said we ll just mention that sometimes depending on the communicator the format and the audience semicolons might be used to separate items in longer sentences or passages of text.
The choice is yours. Place a comma between each item in the list unless you are writing in associated press style. Now suppose that the three items i want to list are described in phrases that already contain some commas. I bought apples grapes and pears. In a sentence i would separate these items with commas.
Semicolons separate independent clauses that are related in meaning and they separate items in a list when those items themselves are long or include commas. John simon and toby. However when the list items themselves contain commas you can outrank those commas by using semicolons as the separators for your list items. Suppose i want to list three items that i bought at the grocery store. Semicolons help divide listed items that each contain commas.