Q. Is it ever okay to start a list with a sentence ending in a period instead of a colon? (“To determine the answer, use the following concepts.”) Does it matter if the list is set off by bullets or that the typesetting is different (by color or font, etc.)? What is the preferred method if both ways are correct? What if it is not a complete sentence? I appreciate the response. Me and a fellow copy editor are at odds.
A. Chicago’s preference is to use a colon, but there are times when a period might better serve. Please see CMOS for details on how to punctuate vertical lists and for examples that include sentences and sentence fragments. If you use a period, the list items should begin with capital letters. (P.S. I am averting my eyes from “Me and a fellow copy editor are at odds”—please tell me that this is just your fun email-writing style, or if it isn’t, that you aren’t editing anything important to our national security.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Two colleagues and I are disagreeing at work about the formatting of the text above vertical lists. The introductory element
is often a few words, and it is usually not a complete grammatical sentence, yet we end the introductory element with a colon.
One woman declared that this was wrong and that we should fix thousands of screens in hundreds of lessons by either rewriting
the introductory element as a complete sentence or removing the colon. What do you think?
A. In new text, I would edit as your colleague suggests, but since it sounds like a costly and time-consuming process for you
to change the ones you already have in place, you might compromise by replacing the offending intros only as you add new lessons
or revise old ones.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In either numbered or bulleted vertical lists, what is the correct syntax? Should each item begin the same way—for
example, with a verb?
A. Various syntaxes work well (sentences, fragments, questions), but when the items are parallel in syntax, it creates an order
and logic that helps readers take in information more easily than a mixture of constructions. Parallel doesn’t
mean identical, however. If your items are complex, it may not be practical to match them word for word with parallel parts
of speech. On the other hand, in a simple construction, close imitation is usually easy and effective. (If your first two
items are “Stop” and “Drop,” you aren’t
going to follow with “How to roll around when you’re on fire.”)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am editing a manuscript that will become a book. It is a type of instructional manual, but more informational than instructional.
The writer is inconsistent with the use of bullets and numbers. Should a list be numbered only if the material is to be used
as a guideline for a consecutive order of information? Should bullets be used simply as an outline of information in no particular
order?
A. Yes, I think that’s a good rationale for distinguishing bulleted and numbered lists.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. What position does Chicago take on numbered lists within sentences? I’m editing a document in which
the author frequently sets apart elements of a series with (1), (2), and (3). The enumeration rarely indicates a progression,
and it is used in short and long sentences, even when only two elements of a series are listed. I think this practice is burdensome
to the reader in many cases and makes the document appear too technical, but haven’t found anything
to support my claim.
A. If there are so many of these that they begin to look silly or distracting, I would edit them out. Gently point out to the
writer that although such numbering is useful in complex enumerations, his or her writing is clear enough without the crutch.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In a list of bulleted points where some are complete sentences and some are not, do you put a period at the end of a sentence,
but not the list, or periods after all bulleted points, or none at all?
A. I’m afraid you won’t like my answer: this situation is not covered in CMOS because in a list of bulleted points all the items should be styled with the same syntax, either sentences or sentence fragments.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am a course designer for a university, and I always have a difficult time figuring out how to handle punctuation and capitalization
in multiple-choice questions. Do I capitalize the first letter of each choice? Do I add a period at the end of each choice?
Does the rule change if it is a question rather than a statement?
A. Unless the items themselves form complete sentences, lowercase the first letter of each item in a multiple-choice list and
omit periods:
Blade Runner’s Rick Deckard was, without a doubt,
(a) a replicant
(b) Sam Spade reincarnated
(c) an ordinary human being
(d) an enigma
This style applies to statements and questions. In this way, multiple-choice tests are styled much like unnumbered vertical
lists.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. What are the proper guidelines for punctuating the phrases/clauses in a bulleted list?
A. Please see the section on lists and outlines at CMOS 6.127–32. There you will find not only a discussion of the rules but plenty of examples.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’ve read your advice on vertical lists, but I’m still confused about how to punctuate a long vertical list that completes an introductory statement without punctuating it as one terribly long sentence.
A. According to CMOS 6.131, you should punctuate your list as a long sentence. If that doesn’t work for you, rewrite your introductory statement to make it grammatically complete and follow the examples in 6.130.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]