RE: Punctuation and procedure titles?

Subject: RE: Punctuation and procedure titles?
From: "Scudder, Beth" <beth_scudder -at- retek -dot- com>
To: "'Angela Pollak'" <angela -dot- pollak -at- sybase -dot- com>, TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 12:30:40 -0600

Angela Pollak [mailto:angela -dot- pollak -at- sybase -dot- com] clarified:

First, I'm speaking of numbered lists, not bulleted lists. (There is a
difference: numbered lists imply sequence, whereas bulleted lists do not.
Each numbered 'step' in my list is a complete sentence.) Secondly, the
'sentence' introducing the list is not a sentence at all, but rather a
'title' consisting of a slightly 'embellished' infinitive (which may very
well answer my question in and of itself). For example,

To phone a friend(:)
1. Pick up the receiver.
2. Dial the number.
3. Wait for the person you are calling to say hello.

<snip>

I'm simply gathering information before I make a recommendation for our
house style.

-----------------

With that in mind, then:

If the title introducing your list (or procedure) is in a heading format,
then I would capitalize it accordingly (initial caps, probably), phrase the
title so that it was an imperative instead of an infinitive (Phone a
Friend), and _would not_ use a colon.

If the title introducing your list (or procedure) is in the same format
(more or less) as the list itself, I _would_ use a colon, especially if you
retain the "embellished infinitive" style for the title.

My two cents,

--Beth





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