Grammar
Style guide 
Bulleted lists rules
In the past, most bulleted lists had semi-colons at the end of each point with an and after the second-to-last point and a full stop at the end. This style is still used in legal material, but not in most business writing. Modern styles are more minimal.
You can use different styles for different types of lists, but whatever styles you choose, the cardinal rule is: be consistent.
Types of lists
Full sentences
With lists that are made up of full sentences, use normal sentence punctuation. For example:
- Check your passport is current when you start planning your trip as it may take several weeks to renew it.
- Decide how much cash to take with you. In most places you can withdraw money from ATMs.
Run-on sentences have minimal punctuation
For run-on sentences where each bullet point relates back to the initial statement, use lower case for the first letter in each bullet point, and put a full stop after the last bullet point. For example:
Before you travel overseas, remember to:
- make sure your passport is current
- find out if need any vaccinations
- check the expiry dates of your credit cards.
Lists of one-or-two words, or short phrases
For one-or-two word lists, or short phrases, either use initial capitals and no punctuation, or initial lower case for each bullet point and a final full stop. For example:
A knowledge of first aid is useful for:
- school children
- parents
- travellers.
or
A knowledge of first aid is useful for:
- School children
- Parents
- Travellers
Grammar e-book and e-newsletter
If you found this tip useful, you might like to read more grammar tips, buy