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Question

Difficulty: MediumSemicolons

The sentence below contains a list of items that have internal commas. What punctuation mark should be placed in both blank spaces to clearly separate the items in this list?

Answer:The chef prepared three signature dishes for the tasting menu: a savory, slow-roasted duck breast 【;】 a delicate, herb-infused wild mushroom tart 【;】 and a rich, dark chocolate soufflé served with raspberry coulis.

Answer

A semicolon (;) must be used in both blanks to separate the items in the complex list.
A semicolon is required in both blanks because the items in the list contain internal commas. When list items have their own internal punctuation, semicolons must be used as the outer separators to keep the list organized and clear.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the list of items being presented.
The sentence lists three distinct dishes: a duck breast, a wild mushroom tart, and a chocolate soufflé.
Understanding the structure of the list is necessary to determine the correct punctuation.
2
Examine the internal punctuation of each item in the list.
Each dish has coordinate adjectives separated by commas, such as 'savory, slow-roasted' and 'delicate, herb-infused'.
If list items contain internal commas, standard commas cannot be used to separate the items themselves without causing reader confusion.
3
Apply the rule for complex lists.
Use semicolons to separate the main items in the list.
Semicolons clearly mark the boundaries of each complex item, preventing a confusing or run-on list.

Key Concept

Using semicolons to separate items in a complex list containing internal punctuation.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Semicolons

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