Lists

Sometimes the most effective way to present information is in a list. Lists can draw a reader’s attention, make text easier to scan and read, add white space to a page, shorten copy, relate items, and show a sequence or the level of importance.

A list may be numbered, bulleted, or embedded in a sentence. Each type of list has its proper use.

Use a numbered list when the sequence or numbering of the list items is important, as with the steps in a procedure or a top 10 list.

Example
To create an eruption:
1. Stack four Mentos candies next to a plastic bottle of carbonated soda.
2. Open the bottle of soda.
3. Drop in the candies.
4. Stand back.

Bulleted lists work best for related items when the sequence is not important. Ideally, each item in a bulleted list carries the same weight and importance; for example, all items could be movie titles or features of a new product. If possible, each item should also be approximately the same length.

Try to use parallel construction for items in a bulleted list. Each should start with the same part of speech—noun, verb, and so forth.

Example
Muriel instructed the wedding DJ not to play any of these songs:

• “Brick House”
• “Celebration”
• “Macarena”
• “The Chicken Dance”

Muriel’s partner noted that Muriel needed to:

• Lighten up already
• Realize that she was not the only person getting married

Example
Our weekend “staycation” involved:

• Going out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Splurging on spa treatments
• Seeing a midnight movie at FilmWorld
• Sleeping until noon

Most lists need a heading or a sentence of introduction to let the reader know why the list is important. Introduce a numbered or bulleted list with a sentence fragment or a sentence ending in a colon.

Examples
For lunch we had:

• A tuna sandwich
• A bag of chips
• An oatmeal cookie

You should see what Inna made us for lunch:

• A portobello mushroom sandwich
• French fries
• A chocolate-chip cookie

If you introduce the list with a sentence fragment, make sure that each list item can complete the sentence logically.

Example
Before
Your cover letter should include:

• A description of your current responsibilities
• Your job search

(Your cover letter can include reasons for your job search or information about your job search, but not the search itself.)

After
Your cover letter should include:

• A description of your current responsibilities
• Reasons for your job search

Follow these guidelines for capitalizing and punctuating the items in a numbered or bulleted list:

• If one or more of the list items is a complete sentence: Capitalize the first word of every list item and use ending punctuation after each item. A list item is considered a complete sentence if, removed from the context of the list, it could stand on its own as a sentence. This may include an item that completes the list’s introductory line, if the item reads like a full sentence on its own (see the following example).
• If all the list items are sentence fragments: Don’t use any ending punctuation—even if the items complete a sentence fragment that introduces the list. The first word of each list item can be either uppercase or lowercase. Capitalize every item the same way in every list in the document or on the site.

Examples
All complete sentences
To reach the hotel from the airport, you can:

• Reserve the hotel shuttle.
• Hire a taxi.
• Ride an airport shuttle.
• Ride a public bus.

(Although each list item completes the fragment “you can,” each could also be considered a complete sentence if removed from the context of this list.)

One complete sentence (see last item), requiring all items to have periods
Hotel policy states:

• No pets.
• No smoking.
• No late checkouts. Checkout time is 11 a.m.

All sentence fragments, capitalized
Guests can reach the hotel from the airport using any of the following:

• The hotel shuttle
• A taxi
• An airport shuttle
• A public bus

All sentence fragments, lowercased
Guests can reach the hotel from the airport using any of the following:

• the hotel shuttle
• a taxi
• an airport shuttle
• a public bus