How to punctuate a list

​Lists are a great way of breaking up complex information. People often struggle with getting the punctuation right. So, here’s a quick reference guide.

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• In some lists, each new line is a complete sentence.
• Because each new line is a complete sentence, each one begins with a capital letter.
• Finally, each new line ends with a full point.

 
Another type of list is like this. It’s really just a long sentence, broken up, which:

• starts with a lower-case letter;
• has a semi colon after each line;
• and finishes with a full point.

 
Finally, we have very short lists which can be about anything, like the things I most like to eat in the afternoon with a cup of tea which include:

• biscuits
• chocolate
• cake
• scones
• twiglets.

 
Or sometimes you can punctuate a short list using no punctuation, like this list about the things I like to shove in my mouth if I’m drinking a glass of wine in the evening, for example:

• Feta cheese
• Olives
• Crisps
• Cheddar cheese
• Jam butties

 
As ever, the important thing to remember is consistency!