- Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. When a vertical list follows a full sentence, introduce it with a colon. Welcome to Ask the Editor, a forum on writing, style and phrasing issues that go beyond the pages of the AP Stylebook. Unsubscribe at any time. Lower is default; upper is special. 10. A: Commas in a series are for clarity and prevention of ambiguities. To see what I mean, read the lead-in word or phrase then read the first item on the list. 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. Below are examples of vertical listswhich may be unnumbered, numbered, or bulletedand how to introduce, punctuate, and capitalize them. You have multiple options to capitalize and change the case of your titles, headlines, song titles, book titles, email subjects, and more. A: member is lowercase, as are congressmen and congresswoman. 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. The Fantastic Shakers have won many awards. Yes. A: Normally staff is a collective taking a singular verb, Spelling (one word or two; hyphenation; noun phrases; prefixes; suffixes), Titles (academic; courtesy; professional; military; occupational; political; religious). Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website. See the "legislative titles" entry for rulings. 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. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions of four letters or fewer. Thanks for the catch! Input your member identification number. Q: If using "member of Congress" instead of congressman/congresswoman, should "member" be capitalized? She excels at designing customized business writing training programs to maximize productivity, advance business objectives, and convey complex information. Unordered lists occasionally appear without bullets.8 However, strongly consider using bullets whenever possible because bullet-less list items can be difficult to identify on mobile devices with responsive text layouts. AP has a few punctuation rules that differ from many common style guides: Do not use a comma before the last item in a simple series ("My favorite candy includes Snickers, Twix and Zagnut bars."). Awesome sauce! Capitalization looks fancy and makes things seem important. See APA 7, Section 6.52 for examples and more information. Stay with us.". Lowercase to in the infinitive (though not defined in the stylebook). Q: If you have a hyphen in a headline, is the word after the hyphen capitalized? 22 December, 2021. When writing an argumentative essay, you would typically research a topic and adopt a certain How to Punctuate and Capitalize Bullet Points. And if so, when? AP Stylebook: Use periods after bullets. Capitalization is a style choicewith sentence fragments, you can choose to start each with either upper- or lower-case letters. Use a period after every bullet point that completes the introductory stem. (Just like this bullet list youre reading now.). Creating a free account also gives you access to historical stylebooks, writing guidelines and handbooks produced by The Associated Press, dating back to June 1900. She holds a B.A. The AP Stylebook is a writing and editing reference for newsrooms, classrooms and corporate offices worldwide. My name is Erin. 5 simple story types to fill out your editorial calendar, A quick refresher on using minor punctuation marks in AP style, 8 tips on writing and editing from Jerry Seinfeld. 8. In Not quite. Lowercase the second word after a hyphenated prefix (e.g., Mid-, Anti-, Super-, etc.) AP Style: Sentence Fragments and Capitalization Finally, let's look at Associated Press style. in English Literature from Boston College, and a C.A.G.S. They are also written without terminal punctuation (i.e., they dont end in a period, comma, colon, or semicolon).9. This article is a summary of AP style. 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 . Bulleted lists are appropriate when presenting a list of items in no particular order. That's . Recently, we looked at how to write run-in lists, which are lists that appear inside sentences. The individual list items following the complete sentence are usually lowercased if they arent complete sentences themselves. Should the first letter of the bullet list be capitalized? The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. the proper name, do not capitalize. AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. . How to punctuate bullet lists can be tricky because various style guides contradict each other. A: In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. Sixth and Seventh streets). I was a fan until I realized it wasn't AP Style, all hail AP Style Honorable mention a.m. and p.m. - That's how they're used. 7.2.15 New section added on when to capitalize names of degree programs. Then craft an attention-grabbing headline, write the body of your press release, add the boilerplate section, and distribute your press . Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. Clean windows with a newspaper and . Next, identify a newsworthy angle and set up your press release's header section. The default rule is to lowercase words unless theres a reason they should be uppercase. Unfortunately, many brands forego style guides and choose to wing . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. So many choices to make! But if youre following AP style, chances are youre overusing those big letters. Symbols such as small circles, squares, dashes, and so forth may be used for the bullets. Example: In this project, the equipment shall consistof: RULE: Use periods after short phrases that are essential to the grammatical completeness of the statement introducing the list. According to APA, racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and Get your free sample back in 3 to 6 hours! To illustrate the example, youd sayI voted on election day because I want my candidate to win. I voted on election day because I like to exercise my right to vote. I voted on election day because I believe every vote counts.. 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. That includes newspaper names and magazine references. Bullet points. always refer to the style guide and doublecheck capitalization recommendations. RULE: Use periods after independent clauses, dependent clauses, or long phrases that are displayed on separate lines in alist. Q: When referring to your company in internal (or external) communications, which is correct: Corporate or corporate? Use a lettered list if you want to emphasize separate parallel items within a sentence. nouns, pronouns, verbs. Poor sleep quality has been linked with the following symptoms: The second option is to insert punctuation after the bulleted items as though the bullets were not there, which may be better when the items are longer or more complex. The listing below reflects a few departures from Associated Press (AP) style typically used in Johns Hopkins' web and print text, as well as other style points that, while they are not departures from AP style, require special attention. Zip Airline offers Try it with these examples and see if the period makes more sense. This post links directly to APA Style topics of interest that users may not even know exist on the website. The Chicago Manual of Style. I have a tendency to be very verbose when I write. 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. social connection, in which people text as a way to connect with others; escapism, in which people text to get away from dull or uncomfortable situations such as waiting in line; distraction, in which people text to distract themselves while having a conversation with someone or being in a meeting; audacity, in which people text to get a response from someone, such as to break up with them or ask them on a date; nurturing, in which people text to foster relationships by saying things like good morning or I love you; and. This creates anew layer of confusion on how to use capitalization and punctuation in such lists. . Capitalize the first and the last word of titles and subtitles. The MLA's guidelines for styling vertical lists are derived from The Chicago Manual of Style (6.127-132). Get an email every time a new blog post is published. Youre singing my tune! Complete sentences introducing ordered lists are traditionally punctuated with a colon. Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. Today we'll look at numbered lists. In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. Capitalization looks fancy and makes things seem important. 5 Free French-to-English Translation Services. The rules are fairly standard for title case: Making sure you have the right capitalization for APA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. Lower is default; upper is special. finally, draft your conclusion. This is a grammar guide that accompanies our post on how to write better bullet points. It is the same across all of the four styles. 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. Q: Should the names of decades be capitalized when written out? First, it is important to note that there are four main title capitalization styles: Chicago style, APA style, MLA style, and AP style. RECOMMENDATION: Please avoid usingthe following format: If you write alot of reports and documents with lists, youll always do well if you follow the guidelines above, recognizing the need of the reader to grasp information quickly and easily. This is where the semicolon confusion comes in. There's an old joke: finish the project by Friday, January 23; place everything youve turned in to date, plus this assignment, on afloppy disk;and. 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. Bulleted lists: Capitalize the first letter after the bullet. Q: Should diseases also known by acronyms such as PTSD be capitalized? Judy Vorfeld Oppress means to persecute/tyrannize/bully. The rule of thumb in AP style is that things should be lowercased unless a rule indicates that theyre upper. These might seem like confusing rules with too many exceptions, but youre always welcome to homebrew your own style rules. Q: Is it staff has or staff have? Semicolon Use in Lists A properly inserted semicolon helps to provide pause and clarifying separation in sentences. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You can also upload a document to get an instant quote. In AP style, the word that begins the list or series should generally only be capitalized if it is a proper noun. 48 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<8DCDC806A06A984EB23F9AC6F5FBCE2C><8DCDC806A06A984EB23F9AC6F5FBCE2C>]/Index[28 32]/Info 27 0 R/Length 99/Prev 782230/Root 29 0 R/Size 60/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Follow the same capitalization rules you would follow for normal sentences. 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! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! We have three punctuation issues to consider: Should the ending punctuation at the end of each bullet list be a period, a semicolon, or no punctuation? 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). Below you'll find information on numbers, time and dates, locations, phone numbers, punctuation, capitalization and titles, and the Internet. Next, read the lead-in word or phrase again followed by the second item on the list. Style Bullets Capitalize the first letter after a bullet. The capitalization rules are as follows: Capitalize the first and the last word. AP's style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential . Numbered and unnumbered lists are more commonly used in scholarly publications. Garner's Modern American Usage inserts periods at the end of bullet lists only if the bullet list begins with a capital letter. And, as a guideline, wed suggest punctuating bullet points as follows: However, this again comes down to preference and your chosen style guide. A: As a descriptive term, doctorate in psychology is lowercase. Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading. Infants often display positive emotions when following parents behavioral requests, such as not touching the stove. However, in regard to headlines, is it now true that press release headlines should be in sentence case? Does this help? Whether a numbered list is being used when a bullet list would be more appropriate, or vice versa, In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. In business writing, capitalize the first letter of bullet lists. Microsoft and Gregg would capitalize flat and sharp if they appeared in a title (unlike Rule 2). This is why capitalization of items that make up a list of bullet points is sometimes a matter of style. Another easy decision. Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. Next post: Make blog post content rich with layers, Previous post: Blog Post Format: Chunk It. - Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. Should each point start with a capital letter and end with a period? Whether youre writing an essay, email, or cover letter, youll likely use parentheses. Do you need a colon to introduce a list? The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends prefacing unordered lists with dashes instead of bullets, although bullets are an acceptable choice for some publications.AP style also recommends punctuating complete and incomplete introductory sentences with a colon and capitalizing the first word in each list item as well as punctuating Punctuating every introduction with a colon and every list item with a period regardless of other structural issues (such as complete versus incomplete introductory sentences and list-item formatting) could potentially decrease flow and readability. This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. is lowercase. Young adults have many motivations for texting on their smartphones: Further information about bulleted lists is available in the Publication Manual, including how to format lists of definitions in a glossary. Abbreviations, acronyms (24/7; NATO; laser; U.S.; No. Try it with a list of shorter items like this. I love traveling to Ireland because of its: [AP, Garner, and Gregg use the colon here. The department prefers bullets, but punctuate them per AP style: After each bullet, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each item. You can learn more in the Title Capitalization Rules by Style section. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style . Avoid a mix. 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. Q: My AP Stylebook always lists examples in italics, so it's difficult to see if italics are part of the style. You are reading a blog that focuses on business writing. The following examples demonstrate both options as well as how to integrate in-text citations into bulleted lists. Garner calls this "vertical lists punctuated as a sentence." If you want to change your title from uppercase to title case, you can select the Title Case button above. Lowercase the second word in a compound modifier (e.g., Mid-year or On-site). All style guides agree to capitalize the first letter of the bullet list unless you opt for the "vertical lists punctuated as a sentence" format using semicolons, illustrated above. If checked, quotes will be output as straight quotes. It's hard for some people to wrap their heads around this rule, especially if each . In APA 7, you have two options for punctuating bulleted phrases: to include no punctuation after each list item and after the last list item or to include commas or semicolons, as appropriate, after each list item and final punctuation at the end of the list. The key thing is applying a clear and consistent punctuation style to all lists. Bulleted lists are covered in Section 6.52 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition. Use all sentences or all. Other terminology (business; food and beverages; legal and justice; medical; ethnic and nationality; politics; religion ). The first word after a colon unless it begins an independent clause. Learn how your comment data is processed. There are five important things to watch for in numbered and bulleted lists: inconsistent capitalization. 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. A: AP doesn't use italics in news stories. Proven techniques for attention grabbing headlines & titles. 1+ 803-479-5092 ntuten@getitwriteonline.com When writing a list, ensure all items are syntactically and conceptually parallel. Erin Wright, 20122023. Use proper punctuation for bulleted sections. For lists of fragments, short phrases, or words, capitalization is optional: As with the other optional punctuation above, though, make sure to use a consistent capitalization style throughout your writing. Q: Do you capitalize a conjunction in a headline? Enter the email you used in your Ragan store purchase. 8 Tips to Make Your Writing Sound More Formal, Capitalization in APA, Chicago, MLA, and AP. 4.24.14 AP style rules on state abbreviations updated. You should always use a colon before a bulleted or numbered list. July 31, 2019. Lowercase indefinite and definite articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. '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. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this websites owner is strictly prohibited. Local Phone: (623) 399-6676 | Entries (RSS). Capitalize words with four or more letters (including conjunctions and prepositions). Q: Which states are never abbreviated in datelines? If you left caps lock on accidentally, you can quickly convert your title from uppercase to lowercase by selecting the lower button above. AP editor Paula Froke fields questions of widest interest posed by subscribers to the online AP Stylebook. For company names, use their preference: eBay. Anation could be oppressed by its leaders, Judy Vorfeld Repellent and Repulsive both speak to driving others away, but REPULSIVE Three horizontal centrifugal pumps with design temperature of 100 degrees F. Three electric motors, in accordance with Appendices. 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? J%HfTH@zGI8a. 1:28 PM - 14 Jul 2021 37 Retweets 189 Likes It is intended as a guide to common PR Team style and . 9. document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a4470ef17940e51381fb55e5e7bde6b6" );document.getElementById("j6a5d70196").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Sign up to receive the latest articles from Ragan.com directly in your inbox. Don't use a bulleted list for only one item. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. Mr. Heckle and Mr. Jeckle enjoy several feline activities: Like ordered lists, unordered lists that are part of an incomplete introductory sentence are lowercased and punctuated as if each item was inside the sentence.10, People who grew up in the 1980s watched a lot of television, including, The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) recommends prefacing unordered lists with dashes instead of bullets, although bullets are an acceptable choice for some publications.AP style also recommends punctuating complete and incomplete introductory sentences with a colon and capitalizing the first word in each list item as well as punctuating each list item with a period even if the item is an incomplete sentence.11. Infants are happy to participate in normal household chores, such as cleaning up. Q: Do music groups take singular verbs, as do collective nouns, or plural verbs, as with sports teams? Clarity and consistency are the building blocks of great content. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use. Example 1: If bulleted items are complete sentences, begin each item with a capital letter and finish it with a period or other appropriate punctuation. A: Eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. The two major capitalization styles for headlines and titles are sentence case and title case. 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). Consider the examples below: Capitalize the first word of every bullet. %%EOF Q: In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym? In the example above, the first two list items end with a semicolon because the second list item has internal commas. Capitalization and end punctuation depend on the type of list and the contents of the list. The capitalization rules are as follows: Wikipedia editors must follow certain capitalization rules for any posts to Wikipedia. I the word Cocaine supposed to be capitalized? Examples: House Cleaning Tips: Remove items from shelves before dusting. Capitalize the important words in the title, Subordinating conjunctions (when fewer than 5 letters), Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for), Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including. Q: Would "crew chief" and "team owner" be capitalized before a name? The Associated Press Stylebook provides an A-Z guide to issues such as capitalization, abbreviation, punctuation, spelling, numerals and many other questions of language usage. Q: What is AP's style on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy? To draw visual attention to items in a list without implying that items go in a certain order (e.g., chronology, importance, priority), use a bulleted list. They look good. Common Style Guidelines Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or Use a numbered list if you want to display items in a numbered series. Q: Is clarity essentially the only rule determining when a serial comma should be included? Any symbol may be used for the bullets, although small circles or squares are typical software defaults. The CMS is commonly used in the publishing sphere, and AP style is more press-oriented . 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. Title case is also commonly used for book titles, movies titles, song names, plays, and other works. If the bulleted text is a whole sentence, uppercase the initial letter of the first word and use a period to conclude the paragraph (see "Lists, Part 5: Bulleted Lists" in the APA Style Blog . An updated list of units of measurement makes finding what you need a breeze. 7. driving, in which people text while in their vehicle (Schroeder & Sims, 2018). If necessary, rewrite the list item so that all items begin with capital letters or all items begin with lowercase words. Topics: Writer's Passport, Writing & Editing. A: AP style is email (changed from e-mail), but other e- words are hyphenated: e-commerce and e-book. Important Note: The MLA Handbook from the Modern Language Association (MLA style) follows Chicago-style recommendations for ordered and unordered vertical lists. Q: How do I deal with a vulgarity from a movie that is integral to the article I'm writing? Grammar (essential vs. nonessential clauses; pronouns; subject-verb agreement ), Q: I'm confused on the use of "that" and "who" when talking about groups. Q: There seem to be differing opinions on whether or not to capitalize the names of grapes used to make wine. - Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. Capitalize the second word in a hyphenated compound if both words are equal and not suffices or prefixes (e.g., Cost-Benefit), Capitalize the first non-Greek letter after a lowercase Greek letter (e.g., -Bromohexanoic), Lowercase the first non-Greek letter after a capital Greek letter (e.g., -9-tetrahydrocannabinol), Capitalize the genus but not the species epithet. The Gregg Reference Manual uses periods only after bullets that are dependent clauses and long phrases. Bulleted lists may be comprised of complete sentences or phrases.
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