PUNCTUATION
USE SEMICOLONS IF COMMAS MIGHT CAUSE A SENTENCE TO BE MISREAD OR OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW Even when elements are not subdivided, commas sometimes would not suffice to mark the divisions between them. For example, what if you came across a description like the following in some assembly instructions: Part A attaches to B, C and D attach to E, and F attaches to G.
It would be very easy to mistake B, C and D for a series; that is, to start reading the sentence as Part A attaches to B, C and D. The rest of the sentence then falls apart: . . . attach to E, and F attaches to G (??). A second pass would probably set you straight, but no sentence should have to be read twice to be clear. Semicolons would prevent any confusion, ensuring that each clause is kept distinct from the others. Part A attaches to B; C and D attach to E; and F attaches to G.
RECOMMENDATION: IF YOU FEEL A COMMA WOULD NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH, USE A SEMICOLON INSTEAD EVEN IF IT IS NOT TECHNICALLY REQUIRED Normally, independent clauses linked by a conjunction are separated with a comma. However, if an independent clause contains any internal commas, you may sometimes choose to use a semicolon as the separator instead. As with a series that contains subelements, the purpose is to make it immediately clear to the reader where one main element ends and the next begins. For example: It is often useful to discuss your research ideas with others before you begin to write, as the questions that arise from the discussion may help clarify things in your own mind. Your consultants may be experts in your field, or they may know nothing of its methods and assumptions; they may be familiar with your particular research project, or they may be completely unacquainted with it; and they may be seasoned investigators or just starting out their own careers.
Similarly, at times you may decide to use a semicolon simply because the elements in a series are long. Given that commas perform so many functions, it may not always be immediately apparent what 91