Conventions of Composition Rule 3

Rule: Semicolons should be used only to separate independent clauses without conjunctions (see Rule 2 above) OR items in a series that have internal commas.

Examples:

Wrong: I visited schools in Tucson, Arizona, Sacramento, California, and Chicago, Illinois.

Better: I visited schools in Tucson, Arizona; Sacramento, California; and Chicago, Illinois.

Wrong: I wanted to read Look Homeward, Angel, The Scarlet Letter, and Yes, Chef this summer.

Better: I wanted to read Look Homeward, Angel; The Scarlet Letter; and Yes, Chef this summer.

Practice putting commas and semicolons into the lists below:

1. If we're lucky, we can travel to Bangkok, Thailand, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this summer.

2. I wanted to buy pasta, tomato sauce, the kind without lumps of tomato, cheese, and garlic bread.

3. When my family goes camping, we bring a tent, sleeping bags, lots of food, mostly dehydrated, and a water filter.

4. I always carry interesting, new books, my phone, phone charger, and wrinkle-free, stain-free clothes for travel.

Resources for further explanation of how to use semicolons:

UNC-Chapel Hill's Semi-colons, colons, and dashes