Two Uses of a Semicolon   Solution

#2 Use for a Semicolon
Use a semicolon to separate items in a series if one or more of the series items already contains a comma.

The following sentence contains a simple series:

At the pet store last night, I bought an aquarium , a filter , and three fish.

In this sentence, each series item is easily identified. However, if one or more items in the series contains a comma already, use a semicolon to separate the series items. Look at the following example:

I also looked at a schnauzer ; a collie ; and a poodle, daschund, and lhasa apso mix.

Without the semicolons in the sentence above, readers might have trouble figuring out just how many dogs the writer actually saw.

Here are a few more examples of sentences containing series which require semicolons:

• My classes this semester are English, my favorite class; circuits, my most difficult class; and physics, my most interesting class.

• My roommates are from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Two Uses for Semicolons:

1. Use a semicolon in place of a comma conjunction when combining
   independent clauses in a sentence.
   
   
2. Use a semicolon to separate items in a series
   if one or more of the series items already contains a comma.

On the next page, we'll look at a the uses of a colon.