What goes at the beginning of a list?

To begin a bulleted or numbered list, use a colon. The colon appears just before the bulleted list in this example. For single words or brief sentences in bullet points or numbered lists, capitalization and terminating punctuation are optional. However, for longer phrases or complete sentences, adding period endings is recommended to provide clarity about the relationship between items in the list.

The following example uses both capital letters and full stops (periods) to indicate the start and end of each item in the list:

These are some favorite fruits: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Oranges.

Here is an example of a short list with capital letters indicating separate items within the list:

Apples: Delicious fruit used for cooking and eating out of hand.

Oranges: Sweet fruit often used as a decoration at holidays and special occasions.

Bananas: Fruit that provides food for over 50% of the world's population; high in calories per weight unit; also used as animal feed.

Grapes: Considered one of the most nutritious foods on the planet; contains vitamin C; magnesium; potassium; fiber; water; antioxidants.

Should a list have full stops?

If a complete sentence introduces the bulleted list, each item in the list should end with a full stop, not a colon, and each point should begin with a capital letter. For example, The "Study" section of Imperial's website suggests free activities in London for students on a budget.

How do you start a list in mid-sentence?

Lists inside sentences

1. Use a colon to introduce the list items only if a complete sentence precedes the list.
2. Use both opening and closing parentheses on the list item numbers or letters: (a) item, (b) item, etc.
3. Use either regular Arabic numbers or lowercase letters within the parentheses, but use them consistently.

How do you write an introduction to a list?

Lists in Format

1. Use a colon to introduce the list items only if a complete sentence precedes the list.
2. Use both opening and closing parentheses on the list item numbers or letters: (a) item, (b) item, etc.
3. Use either regular Arabic numbers or lowercase letters within the parentheses, but use them consistently.

What is the correct punctuation for a list?

A list in a sentence requires three punctuation marks: a comma, a colon, and a semicolon. Which one you use is determined by the complexity of your list. If you're making a basic list, just put a comma after each item. But if you need to separate multiple sentences-or even paragraphs-use a semicolon instead.

How do you write a list?

I double-checked my list after making it (for colons, commas, and semicolons).

1. Comma. If you are writing a simple list, you can just insert a comma after each item.
2. Colon and Comma. You can also use a colon before you introduce the list’s items.
3. Colon and Semicolon. If your list is complex, you may want to use semicolons as dividers to make each individual item easier to read.
4. Summing up.

How do you do bullet points in a list?

A collection of lists

1. Punctuation at the end of the opening sentence (full stops or colons – no dashes!)
2. Capital or lowercase letters at the start of each point.
3. Punctuation at the end of each point.
4. Punctuation at the end of the last point in the list.
5. Bullet style and indentation amount.

How do you explain a list in an essay?

Introduce the list with a new phrase or independent clause. To indicate that the list will be long, use a colon, and commas to divide items in a short list. If you need to divide the items in the list, a semicolon separates things that are more than three words long and items that include commas. A period ends the list.

Use transition words to connect each item on the list with the next one. These words give information about the relationship between the two ideas: for example, because, since, while, after which means that, and so forth.

When writing about lists of items, it is important to distinguish what they contain from how they are contained. So, for example, although a list may consist of animals of a certain type, it does not necessarily follow that the list is made up of pictures of cats or dogs. The same list could be used to describe both a display containing photographs of animals and the actual creatures themselves. Lists can also be used to display several similar objects or people. For example, "John, Paul, George, and Ringo were all members of 1960s rock band The Beatles." Here, the list shows that these four individuals were all part of the group, but it does not tell us which ones went where or when they joined up.

Lists can be useful tools for organizing information.

About Article Author

Alicia Lartigue

Alicia Lartigue is a writer who loves to write about various topics. She has a degree in English Literature and Writing, and spends her days writing about everything from fashion to feminism. Alicia also volunteers as an editor for her college newspaper, and has worked on various writing-related projects during her time there.

Disclaimer