Asked by: Adam Beal

Do bulleted lists need punctuation?

Punctuation with bullet points

If the text of your bullet point is a complete sentence (or multiple sentences), use capital letters and punctuation. If your points are not structured as proper sentences, you don’t need to end with punctuation.

How do you punctuate a list of bullet points?

Punctuation Bullet Points

1. Use a period (full stop) after every bullet point that is a sentence (as these bullets do).
2. Use a period after every bullet point that completes the introductory stem.
3. Use no punctuation after bullets that are not sentences and do not complete the stem.

Should list items end with a period?

Use a period after numbers or letters in an enumerated list. End each item in an enumerated list with a period if one or more items in the list are complete sentences. (For the sake of parallelism, normally all items or none should be complete sentences.)

How do you punctuate a list in a list?

Semicolons are used to separate items in complex lists. You often need a semicolon between items when there are commas within the items themselves.

Should I put a period at the end of bullet points?

Use a period after bullet list that completes the opening stem sentence that introduces it. Don’t use a period after bullet lists that are not complete sentences or do not complete the opening stem sentence. Don’t use semicolons to end punctuation. Use either all full sentences in your bullet lists or all fragments.

Should bullet points have semicolons?

Some style guides will suggest that when bullets are fragments you should put a semicolon at the end of each one, write ‘and’ at the end of the next-to-last bullet, then have a full stop after the final one. This isn’t wrong – just another style (and there are many other styles).

Do you use semicolons for lists?

Semicolons can be used to link items in a list, such as objects, locations, names and descriptions. Where the list items already contain commas, a semicolon helps avoid confusion between the items; in this way the semicolon acts like a ‘super comma’.

Do you use semicolons in a numbered list?

Semicolons link sentences. They complicate sentences for users if overused. Do not use them at the end of bullet and numbered list items.

What type of punctuation is crucial when listing things in your writing?

What type of punctuation is crucial when listing things in your writing? Commas precede a conjunction when it is joining two dependent clauses.

When listing things do you use a comma?

When we have a list of three or more items, we use a comma to split the items in the list. This comma is known as a listing comma, e.g. I like rice, beans, and plantains. Listing commas can usually be replaced by “and” or “or,” e.g. I like rice and beans and plantains.

When items in a list already contain commas?

When a list within a sentence contains three or more items, use a serial comma before the final item. We gathered information about participants’ age, gender, and socioeconomic status. However, if any item in a list of three or more items already contains commas, use semicolons instead of commas between the items.

Do you use a comma before and in a list?

You usually put a comma before and when it’s connecting two independent clauses. It’s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list.

What is the Oxford comma rule?

The Oxford comma is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of things. For example, in “the flag was red, white, and blue”, the Oxford comma would be the one appearing before “and”. Proponents of the Oxford comma say it’s necessary for removing ambiguity in sentences.

What are the 8 rules for commas?

Commas (Eight Basic Uses)

• Use a comma to separate independent clauses. …
• Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. …
• Use a comma between all items in a series. …
• Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses. …
• Use a comma to set off appositives. …
• Use a comma to indicate direct address. …
• Use commas to set off direct quotations.

Is Oxford comma necessary?

The Oxford comma has been around for centuries, but is entirely optional: the rules of punctuation do not demand its use. Technically it’s never wrong, but it may not always be necessary.

What are the 4 types of commas?

There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas.

Does thank you need a comma?

This one’s easy: You always need a comma after thank you when you are addressing someone directly. That means it’s “Thank you, John.” Adding a comma here separates the statement from the name of the person being thanked.

Why was the Oxford comma removed?

It seems like the Oxford comma’s days are numbered. The University of Oxford styleguide has decided that as ‘a general rule’ use of the serial comma should be avoided. As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’.

Why is the Oxford comma controversial?

When a sentence includes a series of people, places, or things, using the Oxford comma makes it clear just how many items you are listing and resolves any potential confusion or ambiguity. Also, without the Oxford comma, you may inadvertently suggest a connection between the last two items that does not actually exist.

Is there a comma between last name and III?

John Smith III or John Smith, III? A. Traditionally, it would be John Smith, Jr., and John Smith III. But beginning with the fourteenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (1993), the recommendation is to use no commas in either case (see paragraph 6.43 of the seventeenth edition):

Is the Oxford comma dead?

The Oxford comma is banned, dead, and buried… but lives on | The Independent | The Independent.

Who doesnt use Oxford comma?

Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.

Do schools teach Oxford comma?

You may even know the Oxford Comma as the Harvard or Serial Comma. In primary schools today, students are taught how to use the Oxford comma but aren’t familiar with the name. The use of the Oxford Comma is typically taught on the second-grade level.

Does Oxford University use the Oxford comma?

The Oxford University Press quickly responded that they do, indeed, still use the Oxford comma, and by the next day Galley Cat had posted a clarification.

What is the last comma in a list called?

When making a list, commas are the most common way to separate one list item from the next. The final two items in the list are usually separated by “and” or “or”, which should be preceeded by a comma. Amongst editors this final comma in a list is known as the “Oxford Comma“.