Question

In the following sentences, add semicolons or replace commas with semicolons where needed.

1. The two sides could not reach an agreement, however, they were willing to meet again.

2. Mr. Harrell, the cook, Mrs. Chang, the gardener, and Ms. Klein, the electrician, were all suspects.

3. We bring our own rackets, shoes, and bottled water, and the balls, I believe, are provided at the gym.

4. The elevator is broken we will have to take the stairs.

B In the following sentences, add semicolons or replace commas with semicolons where needed.

1. My uncle has traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, London, England, and Madrid, Spain.

2. The spring rains have begun soon the hillside will be covered with wildflowers.

3. Close the lid tightly otherwise, the paint will dry out.

4. I missed several days of school because of illness, as a result, I am behind on my work.

Answer 1

1. The two sides could not reach an agreement; however, they were willing to meet again.

2. Mr. Harrell, the cook; Mrs. Chang, the gardener; and Ms. Klein, the electrician, were all suspects.

3. We bring our own rackets, shoes, and bottled water; and the balls, I believe, are provided at the gym.

4. The elevator is broken; we will have to take the stairs.

B In the following sentences, add semicolons or replace commas with semicolons where needed.

1. My uncle has traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico; London, England; and Madrid, Spain.

2. The spring rains have begun; soon the hillside will be covered with wildflowers.

3. Close the lid tightly; otherwise, the paint will dry out.

4. I missed several days of school because of illness; as a result, I am behind on my work.

Step-by-step explanation:

Semicolons are symbols used in writing that signify a pause. While they are not as final as the full stop, they are much stronger than the comma and help us to understand the sequence of things better. Semicolons are used to separate items in a list as well as to separate independent clauses. They can also be used to separate independent clause joined by a conjunction as seen in the first sentence where the two independent sentences are separated by the conjunction, however.

In the second sentence, the use of semicolons help us to recognize the professions applicable to each individual. This is an example of the separation of items in a list.