108 English Grammar Demystifi ed
I usually buy organic blueberries, strawberries, and grapes; but I don’t buy them
as often when the prices go up in the winter.Normally, as noted earlier, two related thoughts can be connected by a comma
when you use the word but:
I usually buy organic strawberries, but I don’t buy them as often when the
prices go up in the winter.However, with all the commas in the original fi rst clause (blueberries, strawberries,
and grapes), you need to avoid the confusion that too many commas can cause.
When this occurs, use a semicolon before the small connecting word:
Candy, my calico cat, is not very large; but even though she never wins, she
tries to fi ght the local dogs.Finally, use a semicolon between items in a series that contains internal punctua-
tion. For example:
There are beautiful historic mansions in Newport, Rhode Island; Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin; and Hudson Valley, New York.Minna scored 2,837,770 points; Marcia, 2,312,760; and Joie, 1,714,450.This is sometimes called a serial semicolon—for obvious reasons.
Written Practice 5-2
Correct the punctuation errors in the following sentences.
- We packed lunch, put suitcases in the car, and fi lled the gas tank, so we
ended up leaving late. - Our to-do list included addressing Christmas cards, taking clothes and shirts
to the cleaners, and buying several last-minute gifts, but when our dog
became ill, there was no time to do any of it. - Trucks, vans, and recreational vehicles are required to use the right lane, but
cars can use three left lanes.