IXL | Use semicolons, colons, and commas with lists

Add a comma, semicolon, or colon if needed. Otherwise, submit the text without any additional punctuation.

In 2013, the places that most frequently appeared on Instagram if Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok, Times Square in New York City, and Disneyland in Anaheim.

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question

Add commas, semicolons, or colons if needed. Otherwise, submit the text without any additional punctuation.

Magnificent Fourth of July fireworks displays can be found in St. Louis, if Addison, if and Stone Mountain, Georgia, where fireworks follow a 3-D laser show.

key idea

Use a colon to introduce a list after a complete sentence. If a list does not follow a complete sentence, do not use punctuation to introduce the list.

My parents have visited much of Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

My parents have visited much of Western Europe, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

Use commas to separate three or more items in a series. Put a comma after each item in the list, except for the last one.

Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, Rachel Stein, and Linda Wu.

Use semicolons to separate items in a series when using commas would be unclear, such as when one or more items in the series already contain commas.

Our speakers will be Kevin O'Malley, an English professor; Rachel Stein, a print journalist; and Linda Wu, a blogger.

solution

One or more of the items in the series already contain commas. Separating the items with commas would be unclear, so you should complete the sentence with semicolons.

$Confetti$

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