Vertical Lists, Bullets
Q. Two colleagues and I are disagreeing at work about the formatting of the text above vertical lists. The introductory element is often a few words, and it is usually not a complete grammatical sentence, yet we end the introductory element with a colon. One woman declared that this was wrong and that we should fix thousands of screens in hundreds of lessons by either rewriting the introductory element as a complete sentence or removing the colon. What do you think? Answer »
Q. In either numbered or bulleted vertical lists, what is the correct syntax? Should each item begin the same way—for example, with a verb? Answer »
Q. I am editing a manuscript that will become a book. It is a type of instructional manual, but more informational than instructional. The writer is inconsistent with the use of bullets and numbers. Should a list be numbered only if the material is to be used as a guideline for a consecutive order of information? Should bullets be used simply as an outline of information in no particular order? Answer »
Q. What position does Chicago take on numbered lists within sentences? I’m editing a document in which the author frequently sets apart elements of a series with (1), (2), and (3). The enumeration rarely indicates a progression, and it is used in short and long sentences, even when only two elements of a series are listed. I think this practice is burdensome to the reader in many cases and makes the document appear too technical, but haven’t found anything to support my claim. Answer »
Q. In a list of bulleted points where some are complete sentences and some are not, do you put a period at the end of a sentence, but not the list, or periods after all bulleted points, or none at all? Answer »
Q. I am a course designer for a university, and I always have a difficult time figuring out how to handle punctuation and capitalization in multiple-choice questions. Do I capitalize the first letter of each choice? Do I add a period at the end of each choice? Does the rule change if it is a question rather than a statement? Answer »
Q. What are the proper guidelines for punctuating the phrases/clauses in a bulleted list? Answer »
