Chapter 14 Helpful Rules — An Addendum

This addendum covers listed (bulleted, numbered and lettered) items, headers, sub-headers, slogans, mottos, trademarks and special copy that is often bolded, highlighted or offset from the body of a document. For related topics, see "Capitalization," "Abbreviations," "Titles" and "Common Rules & Misuses."

Rather than use our method of listing topics followed by rules and right/wrong examples, we've elected to use an exemplary numbered list.

1. Helpful Rules on Special and Listed Items

1. Use active verbs or descriptive adjectives to begin special and listed items, headers and promotional statements. 
2. Maintain the same tense (past, present, future) and tone throughout the listed items or headers. For example, if one of 10 listed items contains a negation or different tense, then rewrite it to conform to this consistency rule. 
3. Begin listed items and headers, similarly. If the first items or headers, or most of them, begin with verbs, adopt this pattern throughout; the same applies starting with nouns. 
4. Keep sentence or phrase length to a minimum — two sentences or phrases, at most — and be consistent using only phrases or complete sentences. 
5. Punctuate the end of sentences in listed items or headers, but do not punctuate the end of phrases. 
6. Use a numbered list for listed items that are introduced or presented as a list of more than three items. 
7. Use bullets for listed items not introduced as a list or when there are three or less items.
8. Alternate between numbered and lettered lists when using sub-lists, as in this example:
   1. Apples
   2. Oranges
      1. Florida Oranges
      2. California Oranges
9. Avoid bolding listed items and headers (except for chapter titles and news headlines). If highlighting is essential, then increase or decrease font size. 
10. Title any numbered list that exceeds 10 items.
11. Use only one trademarked name or slogan/motto per phrase or sentence.

---

Introduction