You can also use this tool to do it automatically. This will convert your text to uppercase. In this review, we'll further consider how the semicolon operates in forming lists that involve items in a series. Ordered lists that are part of an incomplete introductory sentence are lowercased and punctuated as if each item was inside the sentence.5, The animal shelters most generous donors were, 2. local businesses, including the hardware store, grocery store, and coffee shop; and. %PDF-1.4 % This is why capitalization of items that make up a list of bullet points is sometimes a matter of style. Erin Wright, 20122023. Don't use a bulleted list for only one item. 7. Get an email every time a new blog post is published. Q: Veteran's Benefits, Veterans Benefits or Veterans' Benefits? How to Create Bulleted Lists in Microsoft Word, How to Create and Modify Numbered Lists in Microsoft Word, How to Create Custom Bullets in Microsoft Word, Parallel StructureThe Secret to Beautiful Bullet Points. See APA 7, Section 6.52 for examples and more information. I love traveling to Ireland because of its: I do not recommend this vertical lists punctuated as a sentence format with semicolons for business writing. Certainly, your business writings substance and information are far more critical than exacting punctuation that technically is neither correct nor incorrect since style guides vary. Prepositions that contain five letters or more. 2-5 p.m.) and when to use the word "to"? Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of four letters or fewer. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. This is the fourth in a six-part series. Learn more about how to write better bullet lists. But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use. July 31, 2019. Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. These might seem like confusing rules with too many exceptions, but youre always welcome to homebrew your own style rules. Its visually cluttered, impeding easy scan. Punctuation Fax: 205-921-5595 2131 Military Street S Hamilton, AL 35570 View Location AP Stylebook recommends: "Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. The Chicago Manual of Style has pages of rules and examples of bullet lists that agree with the Garner style recommendation to use semicolons after each item, use and after the next-to-last-item, and use a period at the end of the last item. There's an old joke: For a list of short items, there is no need to punctuate each point. AP Style calls for periods after each bullet point, but Texas A&M House Style allows either periods or no periods - just pick one and be consistent. The capitalization chapter has new guidance on how to write about census divisions and geological formations. Use proper punctuation for bulleted sections. 'I hope this email finds you well:' Emailing During the Pandemic, Business Grammar: Pronoun Antecedent Errors, Use a period or other full stop after every bullet that is a sentence. My name is Erin. Capitalization, Case Internet The word internet is all lowercase (unless, of course, it starts a sentence or comes after a bullet) . How about Civil Rights Movement? Yes. The rule of thumb in AP style is that things should be lowercased unless a rule indicates that theyre upper. Ive updated. Also, please note that ads, brochures and legal contracts may require some deviation from these guidelines. The Best 2023 AP Style Cheat Sheet Every Writer Needs (Free Download) Ben Sailer Content. Were often asked whether you need a period at the end of each entry in a list. Your subscription includes the . Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including phrasal verbs such as "play with"), adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Numbered Lists and Bullet Lists: Why and How? Good business writing seeks to make information easy to understand. - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points. 205-921-5556. Use numbered lists when youre working with instructions to be done in sequence, and the numbers suggest ahierarchy. AP and Chicago Manual of Style - capitalize initial word and use periods after sentence list items. You can learn more in the Title Capitalization Rules by Style section. We updated guidance on how to write about U.S. and international currency. Other terminology (business; food and beverages; legal and justice; medical; ethnic and nationality; politics; religion ). - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. I the word Cocaine supposed to be capitalized? Only use it to avoid ambiguity, if part of the series contains a conjunction or if you have a complex series of phrases. Bullet points. News media (datelines; headlines; newswriting ). After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. The two major capitalization styles for headlines and titles are sentence case and title case. Ordered lists can be introduced by a complete or incomplete sentence and are typically prefaced by numbers1 or letters2 followed by a period. TITLES Of course, youll want to keep using capitals for all the basics: the beginning of every sentence, proper nouns like names and specific locations, days of the week and months. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. Judy Vorfeld Oppress means to persecute/tyrannize/bully. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, APA style, Chicago style, formatting, grammar, MLA style, punctuation. Try it with a list of shorter items like this. Its all about readability. I like bananas. Vertical lists are set apart from the surrounding text and are usually prefaced with bullets or sequential numbers or letters. ?X~soOr{/'gqjfZIuVCZQ!SdbnU)pHuL`>b"wlh)}4!ybjK If you want to change your title from uppercase to title case, you can select the Title Case button above. This is a tricky one for me because, personally, I agree with you. The Gregg Reference Manual(Sabin). Considering those rules, these hyphenated words would all be correctly capitalized in titles: In the list above, up, in, on, off, and out are adverbs-not prepositions. endstream endobj startxref The rules are fairly standard for title case: Making sure you have the right capitalization for APA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. While the above words are generally capitalized in titles regardless of style, there are some words that are generally not capitalized when using title case. Q: Why is atheist not capitalized while Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., are? Youre singing my tune! However, in regard to headlines, is it now true that press release headlines should be in sentence case? Bonus: We have some great shortcuts to make your life easier. hb```"3VTa`0p4 )x3JH2HgQW(Iz8Nul i@fP!40XE&,0e0v`do`6c $X1)`U&y[#b s .6[ Thanks for the catch! . Now we have bullets. Ive never found the AP Stylebook entry that covers this, including capitalization.. AP Style - use dashes, capitals and periods. But here are a few things you might not realize are actually lowercase in AP style. So many choices to make! If unchecked, quotes will be output as curly quotes. persistent psychological distress (Glozier et al., 2010; Lund et al., 2010). Include periods after independent clauses, dependent clauses, and long phrases, and also after short phrases or words that are necessary to make the sentence grammatically complete: To register for the Annual Meeting: Go to aad.org. Example: There are anumber of tags used in HTML, including: RULE: Its not necessary to use periods after short phrases or single words in alist, if the introductory statement is grammatically complete (see below) or if the listed items are like those on an inventory sheet or ashopping list. driving, in which people text while in their vehicle (Schroeder & Sims, 2018). Lowercase the second word in a hyphenated compound when it is a prefix or suffix (e.g., Anti-itch,world-wide) or part of a single word. A: Commas in a series are for clarity and prevention of ambiguities. Dont use a period at the end of a bullet if the bullet lists are one word or a short phrase that feels like an inventory or shopping list. If a sentence contains more than three items or ideas, we recommend breaking them up into a bulleted list. This creates anew layer of confusion on how to use capitalization and punctuation in such lists. Quickly convert your title or text to sentence case by simply clicking the Sentence case button in the tool above. Again, style guides dont agree.]. Important Note: The MLA Handbook from the Modern Language Association (MLA style) follows Chicago-style recommendations for ordered and unordered vertical lists. . Right you are. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions (regardless of length), and coordinating conjunctions. Capitalization and end punctuation depend on the type of list and the contents of the list. It also connects closely related thoughts. Bachelor of Arts is capitalized as an academic degree, as are B.A. Consider the examples below: A: AP lowercases wine varietals such as cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, and caps regional names such as Bordeaux, Sauternes and Chablis. Preferred style is without terminal punctuation, unless the list item is a complete sentence. In the example above, the first two list items end with a semicolon because the second list item has internal commas. Titles. in English from the University of Rhode Island, an M.A. I love traveling to Ireland because of its: [AP, Garner, and Gregg use the colon here. in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of New Hampshire. DO NOT capitalize plural words even when part of a proper name (e.g. In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. Capitalize My Title requires JavaScript to be enabled in order to run. [M zmp0&BLp$UPd67Z9Ha{0gPY "nG~h%rls 'wdt;:^2i+>f9V%EQ)j2"^e\KP"TiNc-((V A&N+E}E;SnIP Did you know that before the introduction of word processing (via word processors and computers), most publications displayed lists in either outline form or numbered lists. People who grew up in the 1980s watched a lot of television, including: If you arent a strict follower of AP style, consider using the general guidelines explained in the sections above instead of those outlined in this alert box. You can quickly convert your text or title to all caps by selecting the UPPER button on the tool. A: Eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. Bulleted lists. Its hard for some people to wrap their heads around this rule, especially if each item on the list is not a full sentence. Infants are happy to participate in normal household chores, such as cleaning up. Capitalize the first word in each bullet. $;$ExRp" e8CQiQYgKdIw lP"1C[;d,|xk0:[#.kvZ|{wY14\.wCzb`*,a`FK{GQfl!hie "h9e tI*2$"/'O6\a>Zb=01fD?`ZTX7w$\a +!F7X o7N| *&Rp oTF G6eKeJ22N Mb[$er6_oZkh:.jFeX^Lu}]/E.tesv!8;>pi0B@09]l}llx| V:2`zXoyQ% 'w (AP Style reminds writers that it is still correct to use bullets if preferred.) This is another case where there are no hard rules! Infants often display prosocial behaviorthat is, behavior intended to help otherswhen interacting with their parents, as demonstrated in the following examples (Hammond & Drummond, 2019): If bulleted items are words or phrases (but not complete sentences), begin each item with a lowercase letter (except words such as proper nouns). Were so programmed to capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of acomplete sentence that it almost seems wrong to capitalize single words and phrases. Q: If you have a hyphen in a headline, is the word after the hyphen capitalized? Please try again. A Example: Hampton, Va. See the stylebook for specific abbreviations. Use a period after bullet list that completes the opening stem sentence that introduces it. Unfortunately, many brands forego style guides and choose to wing . The most accepted style guide in business writing and web publishing is the AP Stylebook. Example 1: Enter the email you used in your Ragan store purchase. Lowercase the second word after a hyphenated prefix (e.g., Mid-, Anti-, Super-, etc.) It is the same across all of the four styles. For company names, use their preference: eBay. (CMS) and the Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) are what writers typically use. Capitalize words with four or more letters (including conjunctions and prepositions). So long as your capitalization rules remain consistent in your organizations communications, youre golden. In sentence case, only the first word and all proper nouns are capitalized, as shown in the following example: One more day of extreme heat for East Coast Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section or a phrase. This is clear, but AP doesnt fully address when to omit a period at the end of each bullet. label all file pages (and the disk itself) with your designatedcode. Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. Write a strong thesis statement, compose the body of your essay, complete the introduction, and. As with so many things in the English language, capitalization with colons can be complex, and many times, it's more of a style issue than one of correctness. Geography, addresses (state names, regions: Mideast; Northwest; northeast Minnesota; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; Fifth Avenue ). Quick Links: How to Use Capitalize My Title, What to Capitalize in a Title (What Is Title Case, What Is Sentence Case), Title Capitalization Rules by Style (APA, Chicago, AP, MLA, BB, AMA, NY Times, Wikipedia). Today we'll look at numbered lists. Recently, we looked at how to write run-in lists, which are lists that appear inside sentences. Title case is the most common form of title and headline capitalization and is found in all four major title capitalization styles. Gently tap the lid against a hard surface. The stylebook uses italics for examples only. Although a little old-fashioned, some people like to use semicolons or commas in lists. Sorry to pile on here, but your discussion of verb endings is inadequate. Vacuum windowsills and corners with a vacuum hose. nouns, pronouns, verbs. Q: When referring to your company in internal (or external) communications, which is correct: Corporate or corporate? You can also use this tool to do it automatically. For example, are newspapers italicized? No italics. The capitalization and punctuation for each bulleted item are determined by the sentence structure. The bullets indicate that I like apples, bananas, and oranges equally. Avoid a mix. Do you capitalize the first word of a bullet point? A: AP lowercases those descriptive titles. For MBA, AP Style don [t use periods. A: a month's confinement, per the QUASI POSSESSIVES section of the "possessives" entry. Possessive versus descriptive Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? And if youd like any more help with the punctuation and capitalization of lists in a document, dont forget we have proofreaders available 24/7! Use all sentences or all. They look good. Q. Example: The software in this price range offers many excellent features: RULE: When one item contains acomplete sentence, punctuate all bulleted items as though they were complete sentences: capitalize the beginning words and use aperiod at the end of each item. Q: How do I deal with a vulgarity from a movie that is integral to the article I'm writing? AP flags such cases atop the story with an editor's note. Below is a description of the ways you can use our case converter. This is ultimately a matter of stylistic preference. Instead, texts like The Canadian Style (2nd ed., 1997) offer guidelines for styling bulleted lists, some of which strike some writers (this one, for instance) as needlessly complicated. AP Stylebook Online builds on everything that's in the print Stylebook, and makes it a more comprehensive, convenient resource. Q: Is there a standard AP style for bulleted areas of text? Capitalization Begin each item in a list with a capital letter unless there's a reason not to (for example, it's a command that's always lowercase). However, in lists of bullet points, the beginning of a point is also indicated by space and the item marker (whether a bullet, a number, or a letter). A: AP lowercases civil rights movement. The first word after a colon unless it begins an independent clause. She holds a B.A. - Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. Numbered and unnumbered lists are more commonly used in scholarly publications. Q: Is it staff has or staff have? Cite it. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section or a phrase." This is clear, but AP doesn't fully address when to omit a period at the end of each bullet. A: member is lowercase, as are congressmen and congresswoman. To keep bullets simple and consistent, I take a dual approach to styling them, based on whether the items in the list are complete sentences or partial sentences. This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. It's hard for some people to wrap their heads around this rule, especially if each . Do use a comma before the last item in a series when it contains items with and/or. For a series of complex terms, though, use commas after each for clarity. If youre confused about what words to capitalize in a title or headline, we recommend using our title capitalization tool above, but if you want specific capitalization rules, they are as follows. Q: Is the age of an inanimate object expressed in numerals or spelled out? Please enable JavaScript and visit again! Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. The individual list items following the complete sentence are usually lowercased if they arent complete sentences themselves. Well, that was really helpful; thanks for the effort. 6. These are perfectly acceptable, and some style guides suggest writing lists like this. Subscribe to the My Blog Editor blog for the latest TIPS on improving the QUALITY of your business content. Q: In denoting area, which is correct for numbers under 10 -- 5 acres or five acres? With this format, use commas after each list item and on the next-to-last list, item use the word and close the list with a . Thanks for the comment, Anna. Numbers One through nine are spelled out, 10 and above are figures (Arabic numerals). A colon can introduce a long quotation or one of more than one sentence, because it says to a reader: "There's more coming here than you thought. Garner's Modern American Usage inserts periods at the end of bullet lists only if the bullet list begins with a capital letter. Capitalization is a style choicewith sentence fragments, you can choose to start each with either upper- or lower-case letters. Q: Do music groups take singular verbs, as do collective nouns, or plural verbs, as with sports teams? A: AP doesn't use italics in news stories. endstream endobj 32 0 obj <>stream Bulleted Lists: APA uses bulleted lists to avoid the perception of importance/priority connotated in numbered lists. Dont use a period after bullet lists that are not complete sentences or do not complete the opening stem sentence. Memorize the AP abbreviations. Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. In most cases, experts recommend that you start each bulleted item with acapital letter. Q: In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym? Bulleted lists. Bullets Associated Press style is to use dashes, not bullets, for lists that follow a colon. And, as a guideline, wed suggest punctuating bullet points as follows: However, this again comes down to preference and your chosen style guide. In business writing, capitalize the first letter and keep bullet list punctuation clean. Follow @APStylebook AP uses dashes to introduce individual sections of a list, like this: - Put a space between the dash or bullet and the first word of each item in the list. We wont send you spam. And consistency goes a long way in creating clear, credible content. The Copyeditors Handbook (Einsohn). The following rules apply to MLA headings: AP style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the Associated Press but is also used widely throughout journalism. If numbers arent essential, use bullets, especially in business documents. If you want to, you can press Enter on your keyboard or click the Copy button next to the text box to copy the text to your clipboard. By virtue of their formatting, numbered lists stand . This post deserves a standing ovation. The capitalization rules are as follows: Learn how to spot the 5 most common mistakes and fix them before you publish. Write it. Everyone loves a vertical list. I have a tendency to be very verbose when I write. A: AP stories use PHP, Ajax, XML, FTP search engine optimization click-through rate pay-per-click. The phrase "she has decided" warns the reader that the next . Next, identify a newsworthy angle and set up your press release's header section. 10. However, clear bullet list punctuation adds visual scan-ability to your business writing. Semicolons Use in Lists: Items with Internal Punctuation Lists Introduced with a Complete Sentence Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? r%Q! There was an error submitting your subscription. AP style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the Associated Press but is also used widely throughout journalism. I like oranges. The book club members made a list of their favorite genres: Individual list items following a complete sentence that are themselves complete sentences are each punctuated with a period.4. The following example demonstrates this format as well as how to include a citation for the information in the bulleted list. STATES: Abbreviate state names when listed after a city. When writing an argumentative essay, you would typically research a topic and adopt a certain How to Punctuate and Capitalize Bullet Points. hn7_@os@`v6Y8m.sSWloK6]G\#4:RsJ.Sv1b0',K4;mgbj\l~}7N|7W}v0qp}_n]QQL~yNy?NQ2*yZ_p@PnCx'q%6\zr0nqfopzpyb"uGh7? According to APA, racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and Get your free sample back in 3 to 6 hours! Each of these capitalization styles has slightly different rules for which words are capitalized and each of these styles can be written using title case capitalization or sentence case capitalization. Finally, should you capitalize the first letter of each entry in a vertical list? AP follows two broad rules for capitalization: Common names are not capitalized unless part of a proper name (the river vs. the Thames River). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. No periods on the end of a list of bullets unless its more than one sentence. Any symbol may be used for the bullets, although small circles or squares are typical software defaults. The Associated Press Stylebook says when writing lists "use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section, whether it is a full sentence or a phrase.". If necessary, rewrite the list item so that all items begin with capital letters or all items begin with lowercase words. For lists of fragments, short phrases, or words, capitalization is optional: My favorite fruits include: oranges apples bananas dragon fruit My favorite fruits include: Oranges Apples Bananas Dragon fruit As with the other optional punctuation above, though, make sure to use a consistent capitalization style throughout your writing. Lowercase indefinite and definite articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. AP Style: Sentence Fragments and Capitalization Finally, let's look at Associated Press style. Examples: House Cleaning Tips: Remove items from shelves before dusting. EPA follows the AP rule after the dash or bullet: capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. If you feel punctuation does not matter, consider the impact of punctuation in these bullet lists: 2023 Instructional SolutionsRefund Policy | Terms | Privacy Policy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. It makes it easier for your reader. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. There are two options for the punctuation of bulleted lists when the items are words or phrases.
