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STW 12

This document discusses different types of lists that can be used in technical writing. It describes bulleted lists, numbered lists, in-sentence lists, simple vertical lists, ORed lists, two-column lists, labelled lists, and nested lists. Each list type has specific formatting guidelines for punctuation, capitalization, indentation, and structure depending on whether the list items are short or multiple lines. Lists help readers understand, remember, and follow key points by providing a different visual arrangement than continuous text.

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Anurag Samantaray
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35 views16 pages

STW 12

This document discusses different types of lists that can be used in technical writing. It describes bulleted lists, numbered lists, in-sentence lists, simple vertical lists, ORed lists, two-column lists, labelled lists, and nested lists. Each list type has specific formatting guidelines for punctuation, capitalization, indentation, and structure depending on whether the list items are short or multiple lines. Lists help readers understand, remember, and follow key points by providing a different visual arrangement than continuous text.

Uploaded by

Anurag Samantaray
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TYPES OF LISTS

STW UNIT 02
LIST AS A TECHNICAL WRITING TOOL
▪ Different types of lists are a significant feature of professional
technical writing.
▪ Content-wise, lists help readers understand, remember, review key
points, and follow a series of events.
▪ Format-wise, lists provide a different arrangement of space on the
page which helps to break the monotony followed by long texts.
TYPES OF LISTS
▪ Bulleted List ▪ Two-Column List
▪ Numbered List ▪ Labelled List/ List with
▪ In-Sentence List Headings
▪ Simple Vertical List ▪ Nested List
▪ ORed List ▪ Embedded List
BULLETED LIST
 Also known as unordered list, because if the items are rearranged, the emphasis on
the items remains constant.
 Introduce the list with a lead-in phrase or clause followed by a colon.
 Use asterisks or hyphens if you have no access to an actual bullet.
 Use sentence-style capitalization on list items.
 Begin run-over lines under the text of the list item, not the bullet. This format is
called the hanging-indent style.
 Use 0.25 inches for the hanging-indent (between the bullet and the text of the list
item).
 Either start list items flush left or indent them no more than half an inch.
BULLETED LIST
 Use ‘compact’ list format – no vertical space between list items – if each list item is
only a single line.
 Use a ‘loose’ format – vertical space between list items – if the list items are multiple
lines long.
 For sub-list items, use a less prominent bullet, and indent the sub-list items to the
text of higher-level items.
 Punctuate bulleted list items only if they are complete sentences.
 When possible, omit articles (a, an, the) from the beginning of list items.
NUMBERED LIST
 Use numbered lists when the order of the listed items is important
 Use numbered lists when ideas must be expressed in sequential order
e. g. a series of steps in instructions, or the items need to be discussed
in a certain order.
 In a list of more than eight items, consider breaking up the list in two
or more stages or categories (Steps in Stage 1, Steps in Stage 2, etc.).
 Further instructions are the same as those of the Bulleted List, but
with numbers instead of bullets.
IN-SENTENCE LIST
 Use in-sentence lists when you want to (a) keep paragraph style; (b)
avoid having too many lists on one page; and when (c) the list items
are relatively short and can be expressed in a sentence clearly.

 Avoid putting more than four items in this kind of list.

 Sample In-Sentence List:

 The report should a) communicate clearly, correctly, and courteously;


b) be concise; and c) address the audience’s needs.
IN-SENTENCE LIST
 Use a colon to introduce the list items only if a complete sentence precedes the list.
 Use opening and closing parentheses on the list item numbers or letters: (a) item,
(b) item, etc.
 Use either regular Arabic numbers or lowercase letters within the parentheses, but
use them consistently.
 Use lowercase for the text of in-sentence lists items, except when regular
capitalization rules.
 Punctuate the in-sentence list items with commas if they are not complete
sentences; with semicolons, if they are complete sentences.
 Place the in-sentence list at the end of the sentence.
IN-SENTENCE LIST
INCORRECT CORRECT

For this project, you need: tape, For this project, you need tape,
scissors, and white-out. scissors, and white-out.

The following items: tape, scissors, The following items are needed for
and white-out are needed for this this project: tape, scissors, and
project. white-out.
SIMPLE VERTICAL LIST
 Introduce the list with a lead-in phrase or clause (not necessarily a
complete sentence).
 Punctuate the lead-in with a colon.
 Use simple vertical lists when the list items do not need to be
emphasized and are listed vertically only for ease of reading.
 Further instructions are the same as those of the Bulleted List.
ORed LIST
 An ORed list is simply a bulleted list with an ‘or’ between the list items
for visual emphasis e. g.
TWO-COLUMN LIST
 Use two-column lists when there is a series of paired items, for
example, terms and definitions.
 Introduce the list with a lead-in sentence that is a complete
sentence. Punctuate the lead-in sentence with a colon.
 Align all items, and column headings (optional), to the left
margin.
 Further instructions are the same as those of the Bulleted List.
TWO-COLUMN LIST
LABELLED LIST
 This is a vertical list with labels or short headings at the beginning of the items.
 You can use bold or italics for the actual label (italics is used in the figure).
NESTED LIST
 A nested list contains two or more levels of list items.

 Nested lists can contain every combination of list type: numbered,


lettered, bulleted and other combinations of these.
THANK YOU!

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