http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3615.39139)http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331399Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:45:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:331399Dawnstorm0http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331399http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-331399.xmlGrammar Geek wrote: (Other, unsolicitied comments: I would also delete "being" and replace the punctuate after "own" with a colon. And it would be great if you could come up with a substitute word for either "life" or "alive" so they are not quite so repetitive. And is "persistent" really the word you want? How about "sustaining" or something like that?) Ah, the blurry line between grammar and stylistics! Question: If you exchange the semicolon with a comma before "being", and then delete "being", would most native speakers take this to refer to the "zoo" or the "life"? I've tried this version and then stopped at "alive with", realising that I'd read "a lif of its own, alive with..." (which stopped my flow, as I didn't quite like...http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331390Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:45:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:331390Grammar Geek1http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331390http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-331390.xmlAh well, Gorbelaar, it's how I got my name at my old workplace too. (And then I came here and realized I know a FRACTION of what the real grammar experts know!) I hope you'll stick around in the forums and share what you've learned along the way.http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331366Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:45:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:331366Grobelaar2http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#331366http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-331366.xmlThanks very much for your help. Sadly I'm no grammar expert, but as I'm the one who trawled through 27 pages and found a list of mistakes 9 pages long, I'll undoubtedly be considered one in the office now. Sadly it's a not a real zoo - just a virtual zoo - hence using the word 'persistent' instead of 'sustaining'.http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#330964Sun, 24 May 2009 20:45:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:330964Grammar Geek3http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htm#330964http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-330964.xmlI agree with your colleague. There is no reason to use the semi-colons because the elements in your list do NOT contain commas. (Other, unsolicitied comments: I would also delete "being" and replace the punctuate after "own" with a colon. And it would be great if you could come up with a substitute word for either "life" or "alive" so they are not quite so repetitive. And is "persistent" really the word you want? How about "sustaining" or something like that?) P.S. Which zoo should I visit so I can see the results of your work?http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htmSat, 24 Jan 2009 21:45:27 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:330942Anonymous4http://www.englishforums.com/English/MultipleSemiColonsSentence/dqgcd/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-330942.xmlHi there, I have a conundrum that it'd be good to get some advice on. I'm editting the text for a poster. Space is quite tight and there's a lot of information to get across in as few as words as possible. As such some of the sentences have ended up being quite compact. This end of this one is causing particular trouble. "…because your zoo has a life of its own; being persistent and dynamic; changing and evolving; alive with animals and visitors." I realise its not ideal, but I think the three elements at the end should be seperated by semi-colons, just as if they they were a list of things which contained commas. A colleague thinks it should be "...because you zoo has a life of its own, being persistent and dynamic, changing and...