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Topic : Can you use a semicolon to connect fragments that are one item in a vertical list? I'm trying to write a numbered vertical list. The items are not complete sentences. Can you use a semicolon - selfpublishingguru.com

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I'm trying to write a numbered vertical list. The items are not complete sentences.

Can you use a semicolon to connect two fragments that are one item?

Receive guests; entertain guests

Or, should it be written as the following?

Receive guests and entertain guests

I looked at 6.130: Vertical lists—capitalization, punctuation, and format in The Chicago Manual of Style. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find anything about using semicolons to connect fragments that are one item.

Edit: Receiving and entertaining guests have to be one item. I guess you could just write "receive and entertain guests" but I wanted to make it clear that it wasn't one continuous act.

Edit 2: Took out an unnecessary part. Also, the problem has been solved. Someone has kindly told me that the "fragments" are not fragments but imperative sentences! It means that the item consists of two complete sentences. So, it could be written as one of the following.

Receive guests; entertain guests.
Receive guests, and entertain guests.
Receive guests and entertain guests.

Edit 3: In the comments, I've explained why I thought that receiving guests and entertaining guests were not one continuous thing.


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I would be fine with either a comma or a semi-colon, although I think I'd prefer the semi-colon. Lists, particularly with sentence fragments, are pretty flexible in terms of content and punctuation. Just be consistent.


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