A Word About Creating a Bullet List

A bullet list is often a good way to present several important points without burying them in a wordy paragraph. It is important, when you create a bullet list, to make sure that all elements in the list are parallel--that is, they are all in the same format.

• If one item in the bullet list is a complete sentence, then all items should be complete sentences.
• If one item is a simple phrase, then all items should be simple phrases.
• Notice in the examples below that, if the items are simple phrases, they DO NOT NEED capital letters or end punctuation (even on the last item).

EXAMPLE #1:

Remember the following when creating company correspondence:

• The preferred format is full block style with all items flush left.
• Company letterhead should be used only for company business.
• Business letters serve as documentation as well as communication.

EXAMPLE #2:

The following salutations (greetings) are no longer appropriate:

• Dear Sir:
• Dear Sir or Madam:
• Gentlemen:
• Ladies and Gentlemen:
• To Whom It May Concern:

EXAMPLE #3:

When creating the date for a business letter, avoid the following:

• military/genealogy style (27 March 2008)
• abbreviations
• slash and hyphen dates (3/27/08 or 3-27-08)

Notice that the introduction to each bullet list is followed by a colon. In Example #3, the items are not capitalized, and there is no end punctuation because they are phrases, not complete sentences. In Example #2, the capitalization and colons are part of the greetings being given as examples.