Year 6 English: Bullet points: punctuated consistently
Part of the Year 6 English semi-colons, colons, dashes, bullet points and hyphens chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Bullet points: punctuated consistently
Bullet points set out a list. Each bullet must be punctuated consistently. Either every bullet is a fragment (a phrase with no full stop), or every bullet is a complete sentence, starting with a capital letter and ending with a full stop.
Two consistent lists
| Fragments (no full stop) | Complete sentences (full stops) |
|---|---|
| a coat | Bring a coat. |
| sensible shoes | Wear sensible shoes. |
| check the weather | Check the weather. |
Key ideas
- Keep bullet points consistent: all fragments, or all complete sentences.
- Fragments do not need a full stop; complete sentences do.
- Start each complete sentence with a capital letter.
Method. Check each bullet for its capital letter and its full stop.
- Check the first. a coat starts with a small letter, and has no full stop.a coat
- Check the second. Wear sensible shoes has a capital, but no full stop.Wear sensible shoes
- Decide. The bullets mix styles, so the list is not consistent.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. The list mixes styles. ✓
Method. Check whether each bullet has a full stop.
- Check the bullets. None of the three bullets has a full stop.no full stops
- Decide. Every bullet is a fragment, so the list is consistent.fragments
- Write the answer. fragments
Check. Every bullet is a fragment. ✓
Method. A complete sentence has a verb, a capital letter and a full stop.
- Check a coat. A coat is a phrase, with no verb.a coat
- Check Bring a coat. Bring a coat has a verb and starts with a capital.Bring a coat
- Punctuate it. A complete sentence needs a full stop at the end.Bring a coat.
- Write the answer. Bring a coat.
Check. A complete sentence ends with a full stop. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: do not mix fragments and sentences in one list. Choose one style, and use it for every bullet.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to write a list of three things for a picnic, first as fragments, then as complete sentences.
Exercise 8D Practice: bullet points
Method. Test each choice against the sentence or the text.
- Read what the question asks for. Decide what the sentence or the text needs.
- Test the choice. Both lists are fragments with no full stops, and separated in the same way.a coat, wear shoes, check the weather fits
- Reject the other choices. The first list uses semi-colons and is not the bullet style of this list.a coat; wear shoes; check the weather do not fit
- Write the answer. a coat, wear shoes, check the weather
Check. The choice fits the sentence or the text. ✓
Method. Remove the full stops, and start each fragment with a small letter.
- Find the mixed bullets. The first and third bullets have full stops, but the second does not.mixed
- Make them consistent. Use fragments with no full stops.a coat, sensible shoes, check the weather
- Write the answer. a coat; sensible shoes; check the weather
Check. All three bullets are fragments. ✓
Method. Look for a verb and a capital letter.
- Check the first. A coat has no verb.a coat
- Check the second. Bring a coat has a verb, a capital and a full stop.Bring a coat.
- Write the answer. Bring a coat.
Check. Bring a coat. is a complete sentence. ✓
Method. Each complete sentence starts with a capital and ends with a full stop.
- Find the first bullet. Bring a coat is the first bullet.bring a coat
- Punctuate it. Start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.Bring a coat.
- Write the answer. Bring a coat.
Check. Bring a coat. is punctuated as a sentence. ✓
Method. Think about how the reader reads the list.
- Think about the reader. A reader expects each bullet to look the same.the same
- Think about the page. A consistent list looks clear and neat.clear
- Write the answer. So the reader can see the list clearly, and it looks neat and consistent.
Check. Consistency makes the list clear. ✓
Method. Each bullet is a sentence, with a capital and a full stop.
- Write the first. Wear sensible shoes. is a complete sentence.Wear sensible shoes.
- Write the others. Bring a hat. and Pack some water. are complete sentences too.Bring a hat. Pack some water.
- Write the answer. Wear sensible shoes. Bring a hat. Pack some water.
Check. All three are complete sentences. ✓
Method. Add the full stop to a complete sentence.
- Check the bullet. Wear sensible shoes is a complete sentence without a full stop.Wear sensible shoes
- Correct it. Add the full stop at the end.Wear sensible shoes.
- Write the answer. Wear sensible shoes.
Check. The full stop is added. ✓
Method. Write three fragments, with no full stops.
- Write the first. A blanket is a fragment with no full stop.a blanket
- Write the others. A basket of fruit and some sandwiches have no full stops.a basket of fruit
- Write the answer. a blanket / a basket of fruit / some sandwiches.
Check. All three fragments are consistent. ✓
Method. Compare the two styles.
- Look at a fragment. A fragment is a phrase, such as a coat.a phrase
- Look at a sentence. A sentence bullet is complete, with a verb and a full stop.a verb and a full stop
- Write the answer. A fragment has no verb or no full stop, and a sentence bullet has a verb, a capital letter and a full stop
Check. Fragments and sentences differ. ✓