Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon to separate items in a complex list?

• A. The conference had attendees from Paris France; Berlin Germany; Tokyo Japan.
• B. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin and Germany; and Tokyo Japan.
• C. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin Germany; Tokyo Japan.
• D. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan.

Answer: (D)

Using semicolons to separate items in a complex list

When each item already contains internal punctuation, like a comma, semicolons are used to clearly separate the items. Here, each item is a city followed by its country, written as a city–country pair: Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan. The semicolons mark the boundaries between these units, and the word and before the last item signals the final element in the series. This setup prevents the sentence from becoming confusing, since relying on only commas would muddle which country goes with which city.

The other options falter because they don’t preserve the city–country pairing consistently or they misuse punctuation, making the list hard to read or ambiguous.