Is it proper usage to replace a comma in a list with a semi-colon in this situation (see details)?
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Chapters
00:00 Is It Proper Usage To Replace A Comma In A List With A Semi-Colon In This Situation (See Details)?
00:49 Accepted Answer Score 14
01:50 Thank you
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Tags
#punctuation #semicolons #commas
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ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 14
The Chicago Manual of Style offers these pieces of advice:
6.21 Semicolons within series. When elements in a series involve internal punctuation, or when they are very long and complex, they should be separated by semicolons.
6.60 In a series. When items in a series involve internal punctuation, they should be separated by semicolons.
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Is this acceptable usage?
Some of my favorite things to do are camping; playing football and baseball; watching Laurel and Hardy Movies; and traveling.
In the specific case of this example sentence, no it isn't, because the semicolon isn't really necessary. Try blowing it up a bit and the semicolon starts to be more useful:
Some of my favourite things to do are camping with my best friends in isolated, lonely woods; playing football, baseball, eating sausages, offering ridiculous advice on question-and-answer websites; watching Laurel and Hardy, Arnold Schwarznegger, or Sylvester Stallone movies, and travelling to the farthest-flung corners of the globe.