A: Lowercase for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, hepatitis C, etc. I love traveling to Ireland because of its: [AP, Garner, and Gregg use the colon here. If unchecked, quotes will be output as curly quotes. Capitalization, Case Internet The word internet is all lowercase (unless, of course, it starts a sentence or comes after a bullet) . A: "don't ask, don't tell" policy. How a list is punctuated depends on the sort of information that is being presented. Capitalization (proper nouns: America; proper names: Democratic Party; popular names: Indy 500; compositions: books, movies, operas ). So many choices to make! Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs (including phrasal verbs such as "play with"), adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions. However, clear bullet list punctuation adds visual scan-ability to your business writing. ?X~soOr{/'gqjfZIuVCZQ!SdbnU)pHuL`>b"wlh)}4!ybjK 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. If you feel punctuation does not matter, consider the impact of punctuation in these bullet lists: 2023 Instructional SolutionsRefund Policy | Terms | Privacy Policy. While the APs guidelines on this issue are straightforward and easy to remember, they are designed for news publications dealing with limited space and the technical limitations of news wire transmissions. Do not capitalize articles, prepositions (regardless of length), and coordinating conjunctions. Then craft an attention-grabbing headline, write the body of your press release, add the boilerplate section, and distribute your press . This is a tricky one for me because, personally, I agree with you. Ordered lists can be introduced by a complete or incomplete sentence and are typically prefaced by numbers1 or letters2 followed by a period. Use lowercase at all . The following example demonstrates this format as well as how to include a citation for the information in the bulleted list. - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. Use proper punctuation for bulleted sections. Do it anyway. They look good. "The cat's toy" means one cat owns that toy. Although a little old-fashioned, some people like to use semicolons or commas in lists. AP Stylebook Online builds on everything that's in the print Stylebook, and makes it a more comprehensive, convenient resource. (After reading this) .. By far, this is the most vexing punctuation issue! Again, these will depend on the specific style you choose (see Title Capitalization Rules by Style section). Title case is also commonly used for book titles, movies titles, song names, plays, and other works. Vertical lists are set apart from the surrounding text and are usually prefaced with bullets or sequential numbers or letters. She excels at designing customized business writing training programs to maximize productivity, advance business objectives, and convey complex information. To make peace with periods in a list, think of the entire list (including the lead-in word or phrase) as several sentences (all of which need a period at the end). Judy Vorfeld Oppress means to persecute/tyrannize/bully. 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. These include short words and conjunctions: The other major type of title capitalization standard is sentence case. How to punctuate bullet lists can be tricky because various style guides contradict each other. Q: There seem to be differing opinions on whether or not to capitalize the names of grapes used to make wine. Writing, phrasing, usage (word choice; clarity; subjunctive mood; ethnic-racial; profanity; slang ). Q: Do music groups take singular verbs, as do collective nouns, or plural verbs, as with sports teams? We could also write this list with commas instead of semicolons. I like apples. 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. Initial capitalization is preferred for list items that are complete sentences ( Example B) or stand-alone phrases (Examples C and D ). Topics: Writer's Passport, Writing & Editing. The most accepted style guide in business writing and web publishing is the AP Stylebook. A: Always use figures for people, animals and objects: 3-year-old house. A: In this instance, use a plural verb. Subscribe to AP Stylebook Online: AP Stylebook Online is a searchable, customizable guide for writers and editors that is updated throughout the year. How about AP? - Use periods, not semicolons, at the end of each section. The MLA's guidelines for styling vertical lists are derived from The Chicago Manual of Style (6.127-132). 6. The huge difference is that AP colon rules allow you to use a colon after a sentence fragment. Use a numbered list if you want to display items in a numbered series. Use either all full sentences in your bullet lists or all fragments. Individual list items following a complete sentence are usually capitalized but appear without terminal punctuation (i.e., they dont end in a period, comma, colon, or semicolon) if they are incomplete sentences, phrases, or single words.3. Please enable JavaScript and visit again! Careful punctuation also reflects thought and care. is lowercase. Well, that was really helpful; thanks for the effort. This is a grammar guide that accompanies our post on how to write better bullet points. Try it with these examples and see if the period makes more sense. The CMS is commonly used in the publishing sphere, and AP style is more press-oriented . Ive updated. In AP style, the word that begins the list or series should generally only be capitalized if it is a proper noun. Q: In a news story, can you start a sentence with an acronym? For example, are newspapers italicized? A: AP lowercases wine varietals such as cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, and caps regional names such as Bordeaux, Sauternes and Chablis. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube. But if youre following AP style, chances are youre overusing those big letters. Lowercase indefinite and definite articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. I like bananas. A: Use Arabic figures to indicate decades of history: the 1920s, the '80s Figures, numerals, dimensions (7-year-old boy; three years ago; 1 percent; third grade; size 9; 6-by-8-foot rug; 5 ounces; 68,000-square-foot facility). Q: How about using e- as a prefix for new terms in the tech and business worlds? Q: Why is atheist not capitalized while Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., are? Capitalize all words of four letters or more. A: AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. For a series of complex terms, though, use commas after each for clarity. TITLES 2003-2022 Judy Vorfeld's Office Support Services. The capitalization rules are as follows: Wikipedia editors must follow certain capitalization rules for any posts to Wikipedia. Input your member identification number. Bulleted Lists: Capitalization and Punctuation By Judy Vorfeld 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. So long as your capitalization rules remain consistent in your organizations communications, youre golden. Bullet points. Q: Is clarity essentially the only rule determining when a serial comma should be included? . Q: Do you capitalize a conjunction in a headline? Vertical lists can be ordered or unordered and can be introduced by complete or incomplete sentences, all of which affect how the individual list items are capitalized and punctuated. How will ChatGPT affect the communications profession? You can learn more in the Title Capitalization Rules by Style section. You can also use a colon after a partial sentence. The Gregg Reference Manual uses periods only after bullets that are dependent clauses and long phrases. A: AP stories use PHP, Ajax, XML, FTP search engine optimization click-through rate pay-per-click. 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. In the example above, the first two list items end with a semicolon because the second list item has internal commas. 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.. Very helpful stuff! 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. Q: How does AP treat programming language when used in general text? Semicolons Use in Lists: Items with Internal Punctuation Capitalize every word in the headline; the main subhead is a complete sentence with a period. If you have questions, read our. Use all sentences or all. 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 10439 W Royal Palm Rd., Peoria AZ 85345 Q: Is the proper phrase "If money were no object" or "If money was no object"? AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. Q: Why is "doctorate in psychology" not capped, but "Bachelor of Arts" is? Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook, 9th Edition Capitalization Rules, Best Book Writing Software and Book Writing Apps, Cursive Text Generator , Buscador de palabras y descifrador de palabras, Select your title capitalization style above by clicking on a tab. A: AP doesn't use italics in news stories. See "diseases" entry for further guidance. If all else fails, when it comes to accepting AP style: Just do it. There are five important things to watch for in numbered and bulleted lists: inconsistent capitalization. . Do you capitalize the first word of a bullet point? This creates anew layer of confusion on how to use capitalization and punctuation in such lists. Bulleted lists. In bulleted and numbered lists, do not use a period or other punctuation after titles or phrases that are not complete sentences (also good for accessibility). Thanks! News media (datelines; headlines; newswriting ). A: AP uses hyphenated e- for generic terms such as e-commerce and e-strategies. The rule of thumb in AP style is that things should be lowercased unless a rule indicates that theyre upper. (CMS) and the Associated Press Stylebook (AP style) are what writers typically use. Consider the examples below: Q: If using "member of Congress" instead of congressman/congresswoman, should "member" be capitalized? Q: Is there a standard AP style for bulleted areas of text? Get an email every time a new blog post is published. The rule of thumb in AP style is that things should be lowercased unless a rule indicates that they're upper. Take a digital photo of a family member. Does this help? Do you need a colon to introduce a list? in English from the University of Rhode Island, an M.A. After each dash, capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. Q: Should the names of decades be capitalized when written out? Finally, should you capitalize the first letter of each entry in a vertical list? Capitalize the first and the last word of titles and subtitles. Follow the same capitalization rules you would follow for normal sentences. Inconsistent punctuation; Sometimes the grammar isn't parallel between items. 1+ 803-479-5092 ntuten@getitwriteonline.com The capitalization rules are as follows: NY Times style capitalization is mainly used by writers for the NY Times but is also used widely throughout journalism. A: AP Stylebook entry on "collective nouns" says band names take plural verbs. 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. 0 Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun orFile Size: KB. In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. In our latest quarterly roundup of AP Style reminders, we cover back-to-school terms, travel terminology, and more. Youre singing my tune! 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. A colon should be used to introduce the list, and the first letter of each point should be capitalised. Automatically copy the capitalized title with CTRL + C ( + C on Mac) or after pasting. Bulleted lists may be comprised of complete sentences or phrases. But if you are using a style guide, you may want to check it for guidance on which style to use. 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. She holds a B.A. Q: Should diseases also known by acronyms such as PTSD be capitalized? All contents 2023 Associated Press All rights reserved. Semicolon Use in Lists A properly inserted semicolon helps to provide pause and clarifying separation in sentences. Bulleted lists can be used with complete sentences, phrases, or a combination. 1 ). Use sentence case capitalization Use sentence case capitalization for most content, including page titles, headings, subheadings, buttons, and text links, unless a word is a proper noun. See the "legislative titles" entry for rulings. If you have a list of full sentences or a list with a mix of full sentences and fragments we suggest capitalizing the first letter in each item. Next, identify a newsworthy angle and set up your press release's header section. Also, please note that ads, brochures and legal contracts may require some deviation from these guidelines. A: A partial spelling with hyphens in place of some letters would convey the meaning. Possessive versus descriptive Q: A months confinement or a month's confinement? 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. persistent psychological distress (Glozier et al., 2010; Lund et al., 2010). Copyright 2023 Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc. mar Girls Beginning and Intermediate Guide to AP Style. So nice to hear the positive feedback! Not using a colon isnt wrong, but omit it only with certainty that you comply with the style guide of your choice. When do Icapitalize the first letter in abulleteditem? Punctuation (commas; quotation marks; colon; semi-colon; ellipsis ). Numbered lists (as noted on p. 64 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association) can be used to denote items in a series, such as conclusions or procedural steps. Dates, time, eras (July 4, 2008; 9 a.m.; the Great Depression ), Q: When referring to a time span, I never know when to use a dash to separate the two times (ex. Continue from there down the list. But if you're following AP style, chances are you're overusing those big letters. 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. And, as a guideline, wed suggest punctuating bullet points as follows: However, this again comes down to preference and your chosen style guide. Symbols such as small circles, squares, dashes, and so forth may be used for the bullets. When your writing is crisp, clear, and easy to understand, audiences will likely leave your site with a positive impression. Because AP recommends the colon and AP is the preferred business writing style guide, I recommend using it consistently in your business writing. Enter the email you used in your Ragan store purchase. 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. The Gregg Reference Manual uses periods only after bullets that are dependent clauses and long phrases. See The MLA Style Center for more information. If you want to change your title from uppercase to title case, you can select the Title Case button above. Next, read the lead-in word or phrase again followed by the second item on the list. In AP style, headlines capitalize the first word, proper names, or proper abbreviations, verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Bullets normally preface unordered list items.7. Geography, addresses (state names, regions: Mideast; Northwest; northeast Minnesota; 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; Fifth Avenue ). Below is a description of the ways you can use our case converter. Here is an example of bullet lists that need a period to complete the introductory stem sentence: Here is an example of bullets lists that do not need a period because they are fragments not connected to the introductory stem sentence: These are reasons I love traveling to Ireland: Here is an example of bullet lists that do not need a period because theyre one word or a short phrase that feels like an inventory or shopping list: This issue is straightforward. Q: What is AP's style on the military's don't ask, don't tell policy? There are two options for the punctuation of bulleted lists when the items are words or phrases. - Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. 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. Q: Is clarity essentially the only rule determining when a serial comma should be included? If the elements are complex, uses commas for all. AP Stylebook recommends: "Capitalize the first word following the dash or bullet. According to APA Style, the first word after the colon is capitalized only if it begins a complete sentence. Bulleted Lists: APA uses bulleted lists to avoid the perception of importance/priority connotated in numbered lists. AP style provides consistent guidelines for such publications in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation and language usage. The art instructor assigned three projects for the spring semester: 2. 6. Erin Wright, 20122023. Q: How do I deal with a vulgarity from a movie that is integral to the article I'm writing? One exception: email (no hyphen, which reflects majority of usage). We updated guidance on how to write about U.S. and international currency. A: AP lowercases civil rights movement. Proven techniques for attention grabbing headlines & titles. Capitalize major words, e.g. Once again, complete sentences introducing unordered lists are traditionally punctuated with a colon. Bulleted lists help make information more scannable and easier to understand. 11.5.13 Updates made to University statistics, the list of research centers and section on Web addresses. endstream endobj 32 0 obj <>stream AP flags such cases atop the story with an editor's note. It is intended as a guide to common PR Team style and . 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 . Ordered vertical lists have, you guessed it, an order. 10. 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. Now we have bullets. Q: Veteran's Benefits, Veterans Benefits or Veterans' Benefits? 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. The following rules apply to APA headline capitalization and title capitalization: Making sure you have the right capitalization for MLA headings is crucial for scholarly articles. Sixth and Seventh streets). 2-5 p.m.) and when to use the word "to"? Numbered lists may appear with or without the period after the number. Lower is default; upper is special. Added standalone cities to guidance on addresses and states. Bullet point structure Don't mix and match sentence structures. A: In AP headline style, only the first word and proper nouns are capped. The first step in the process of how to write an AP style press release is to familiarize yourself with the guidelines. $;$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 Capitalize the first word in each bullet. A: AP uses dashes, not bullets, for lists in news stories that follow a colon. %%EOF To help, weve prepared a guide to punctuating and capitalizing bullet points. Avoid a mix. Capitalization looks fancy and makes things seem important. Capitalize the first word in a bullet point and the introduction to the list, but not the rest. x]0)} N "d/J]g<3gcyY?9Y\}xLgH*vVQ8e[!}mg%O*~OqoEhe9k=~o^p{?~7?ZOu6ImR)Gow=\JrP A: In a simple series, AP doesn't use a comma before the last item. Capitalize the first word of the title/heading and of any subtitle/subheading. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions. If a sentence contains more than three items or ideas, we recommend breaking them up into a bulleted list. endstream endobj startxref Thanks for the comment, Anna. This is ultimately a matter of stylistic preference. This guidance has been expanded from the 6th edition. In this tutorial, well explore guidelines for how to write vertical lists. 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? But here are a few things you might not realize are actually lowercase in AP style. Others, like the Chicago Manual of Style, suggest lowercasing it. Q: For a subject/verb agreement, how should I treat "one or more features? A: Use "that" for a thing, "who" for the personal pronoun, although "that" also fits some human references. Memorize the AP abbreviations. Only use it to avoid ambiguity, if part of the series contains a conjunction or if you have a complex series of phrases. Lower is default; upper is special. How about Civil Rights Movement? I recommend APs style guidance for end punctuation: All of these recommendations follow AP, but one clarification is needed. By virtue of their formatting, numbered lists stand . The stylebook uses italics for examples only. EPA follows the AP rule after the dash or bullet: capitalize the first letter and use periods at the end of each section. Prepositions that contain five letters or more. Some style manuals, such as the AP Stylebook and APA Publication Manual, recommend capitalizing an independent clause after a colon. You should always use a colon before a bulleted or numbered list. Are we nitpicking punctuation with these considerations of bullet lists? endstream endobj 29 0 obj <> endobj 30 0 obj <>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[603 407.25 648 420.75]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>><>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[270.75 387.75 315.75 401.25]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>><>/Border[0 0 0]/Rect[281.25 368.25 318.75 381.75]/Subtype/Link/Type/Annot>>]/Contents[34 0 R 35 0 R 36 0 R 37 0 R 38 0 R 39 0 R 41 0 R 42 0 R]/CropBox[0 0 792 612]/MediaBox[0 0 792 612]/Parent 26 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSets[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/Type/Page>> endobj 31 0 obj <>stream Lowercase the second word after a hyphenated prefix (e.g., Mid-, Anti-, Super-, etc.) Thanks for the tips. Capitalization is a style choicewith sentence fragments, you can choose to start each with either upper- or lower-case letters. They are also written without terminal punctuation (i.e., they dont end in a period, comma, colon, or semicolon).9. 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. In general, capitalize formal titles used directly before a name. Let me frame my recommendations. 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. Use no punctuation after bullets that are not sentences and do not complete the stem. 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. 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. hb```"3VTa`0p4 )x3JH2HgQW(Iz8Nul i@fP!40XE&,0e0v`do`6c $X1)`U&y[#b s .6[ When to Use a Colon With Capitalization: The puppy left a trail of destroyed items in his wake: shredded papers, mangled stuffed animals and what looked like the remains of a shoe. 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. The capitalization rules are as follows: Bluebook style capitalization is mainly used by lawyers. Colon Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or Its hard for some people to wrap their heads around this rule, especially if each item on the list is not a full sentence. 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. This article is a summary of AP style. Over 1.5 million copies sold! the proper name, do not capitalize. 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. AP style is actually not capitalized, though AP Stylebook is. Its visually cluttered, impeding easy scan. 4.24.14 AP style rules on state abbreviations updated. Sentence case simply means you capitalize the first letter of a sentence, proper nouns, and nothing else as opposed to capitalizing almost every first letter in title case. It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers, informing the editorial canon with sound, definitive advice. Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: AP style, APA style, Chicago style, formatting, grammar, MLA style, punctuation.
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