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I know ";" can connect related sentences without any conjunctions. Now I wonder if ";" can also connect verb phrases as follow:

The device calculates ....; selects ....; programs....; and changes... .

Thank you for your kind advice in advance.

Regards,

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  • Is there potentially ambiguous internal punctuation in the items being connected using semicolons? If so, then sure. If not, then why not simply use commas.
    – curious-proofreader
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 2:16
  • Thank you for the comment. There are many commas in each verb phrase; simply they are quite long. I am trying to include all of the verb phrases in one sentence. That is why I want to know if this usage is grammatically correct, or not. Regards, Hiro
    – Hiro
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 4:15

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The usage of punctuation marks is not an issue of grammar, but rather one of style. As such, you should be guided by your manual of style -- either the one you've selected if you're writing for yourself or the one thrust upon you by the person for whom or institution for which you are writing. I use the Chicago Manual of Style, which suggests two circumstances of interest:

If the clauses of a compound sentence are very long or are themselves subdivided by commas, a semicolon may be used between them even if they are jointed by a conjunction.

and

When items in a series are long and complex or involve internal punctuation, they should be separated by semicolons for the sake of clarity....

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  • If it is a matter of style, what important is to use the style throughout the article.
    – Hiro
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 4:44

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