capitalisation (etc.) in lists

[J. P. Gilliver]

I just typed this in another newsgroup:
===
My other two reasons for finding some of the earlier stories almost
unwatchable - I'm not sure when I saw them, I think quite a few years
ago they (might not have been the Beeb) might have re-shown all of them
from the start, I don't think it was online:

1. some of them were _physically_ so - I'm not sure why; probably dated
from 405 line era, but stored on film or something: anyway, contrasty
and dark.

2. Some of the storylines approached The Wednesday Play in deepness: I'm
thinking particularly those around when Jamie the Scots lad was one of
the companions (I think there were two at the time). Needed considerable
attention to follow - not helped by the poor picture (and possibly
sound?) from 1. above. Either complex, or just not very good.
===

As you can see, before the list I had a sentence ending with a colon. I
don't feel right starting with a capital letter after a colon, so I
didn't; however, the second item in the list followed a sentence ending
with a full stop, so for that one, I did. But it makes the list
inconsistent.

What does the team think? (And do in similar circumstances?)

When doing (especially bulleted) lists, I often do

• blah blah;
• blah blah;
• blah blah; and
• blah blah.

Or, depending what introduced the list, it might be "or" rather than
"and". If the "blah"s are sufficiently short, I might end with commas
rather than semicolons, but still like to put in the and/or at the end
of the second-last one - but I see very few other people doing that,
though recently where I was collaborating on a document, nobody
_removed_ them when I'd put them in, so they obviously didn't bother
people much.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

You cannot simply assume someone is honest just because they are not an MP.

[Andy Burns]

J. P. Gilliver wrote:

> before the list I had a sentence ending with a colon. I don't feel right
> starting with a capital letter after a colon, so I didn't; however, the
> second item in the list followed a sentence ending with a full stop, so
> for that one, I did. But it makes the list inconsistent.
>
> What does the team think?

If you don't like what you feel you have to do after a colon, don't use
a colon? Or break the rule and make the capitalisation consistent.

[Daniel James]

On 07/02/2024 14:45, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
> I don't feel right starting with a capital letter after a colon, so

> I didn't ...
Various online sources suggest that capitalization after a colon is
transpondian practice.

I must say, though, that I (living on the right -- with North at the
top -- side of the pond) would tend to capitalize text after a colon if
it formed a complete sentence in its own right (thereby promoting the
colon to the duty of both a colon and a full stop) but not if it merely
continued the existing sentence.

I'm pretty sure, then, that in your example I would capitalize both
occurrences of "Some" without a second thought.

That's the thing about the colon: its strength as a stop depends on the
context in which it's used.

--
Cheers,
Daniel.

[Andy Burns]

Daniel James wrote:

> J. P. Gilliver wrote:
>
>> I don't feel right starting with a capital letter after a colon, so
>> I didn't ...
>
> Various online sources suggest that capitalization after a colon is
> transpondian practice.
>
> I must say, though,  that I (living on the right -- with North at the
> top -- side of the pond) would tend to capitalize text after a colon if
> it formed a complete sentence in its own right (thereby promoting the
> colon to the duty of both a colon and a full stop) but not if it merely
> continued the existing sentence.
>
> I'm pretty sure, then, that in your example I would capitalize both
> occurrences of "Some" without a second thought.

Looking at examples, where it's just a comma separated list after the
colon, but still in the same sentence, looks better not to capitalise.

But John's example was more of a separate bullet list, I'd capitalise
the "some" rather than be dogmatic about not capitalising.

[J. P. Gilliver]

In message <l2k29r...@mid.individual.net> at Thu, 8 Feb 2024
13:12:27, Andy Burns <use...@andyburns.uk> writes
>Daniel James wrote:
[]

>> I'm pretty sure, then, that in your example I would capitalize both
>>occurrences of "Some" without a second thought.
>
>Looking at examples, where it's just a comma separated list after the
>colon, but still in the same sentence, looks better not to capitalise.
>
>But John's example was more of a separate bullet list, I'd capitalise
>the "some" rather than be dogmatic about not capitalising.
>
>> That's the thing about the colon: its strength as a stop depends on
>>the context in which it's used.
>>
>

Thanks for your input! I think I agree with you. Maybe I'd avoid the
colon somehow (... "as follows." perhaps).

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

But this can only happen if we replace the urge to blame with the urge to
learn so that it is safe for staff to admit errors and raise concerns without
the fear of being punished.
- Eliza Manningham-Bulley, DG of MI5 2002-'7 RT 2016/5/7-13

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

On the whole I agree with you (and share the same misgivings, feeling
that whatever one does it may not always look right). If the individual
items are complete sentences I would end them with full stops.
Otherwise semicolons.

However, different publishers have different ideas. I think that in
general British typographers prefer a lower-case letter after a colon,
whereas US publishers prefer a capital.

--
Athel cb

[J. P. Gilliver]

In message <l3263d...@mid.individual.net> at Tue, 13 Feb 2024
22:43:09, Athel Cornish-Bowden <m...@yahoo.com> writes

Thanks! Yes, it often doesn't look right.

>items are complete sentences I would end them with full stops.
>Otherwise semicolons.
>
>However, different publishers have different ideas. I think that in
>general British typographers prefer a lower-case letter after a colon,

In sentences, yes. These days, if the colon precedes a bulleted or
numbered list, I've noticed an increasing tendency to capitalise the
start of each item (and as often as not, _not_ end them with a full stop
- even being inconsistent in that, especially in non-professional
circumstances).

>whereas US publishers prefer a capital.
>

Interesting.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

If this power [television] is ever brought to mechanical perfection, there is
little reason, except the desire to be gregarious, that anyone but a few
should go in person to any place of entertainment again. - BBC yearbook 1930