Punctuating Series and Lists
In addition to the sentence patterns already covered, there are other patterns that require careful punctuation. Let’s start with how to punctuate series and lists.
Items in a series
Use commas to separate a series of three or more items.
Note: This guideline follows official World Bank preferences, which are based on The Chicago Manual of Style. Other organizations might not use this comma, but the Bank does require it.
They traveled to Syria, Iran, and Jordan. During our mission, we will visit the most hard-pressed areas of the country; assess whether they should receive financial aid or other kinds of assistance; and report on actions taken by the government, efforts made by NGOs, and progress made by the team. (Note: Use semicolons to separate items in a series if the series has internal commas or is too complex for a comma.) |
Vertical list
This is a list used to set off the text, or show complex information effectively in an outline style.
During their mission in December 2011, they visited the following locations:
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Vertical list (items in a sequence)
When you want to show a list of items in sequence, use a numbered list rather than a bulleted list.
During their mission in December 2011, they visited the following locations:
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