Replacing long, wordy paragraphs with easy-to-read lists can serve to simplify and clarify your business writing. Lists are effective because they communicate information quickly, at a glance. Lists are appropriate whenever three or more related pieces of information are presented.

Here are four rules for making lists:

• Introduce a list with a statement that establishes the context and tells readers what the list is about;
• Avoid clutter by using plain bullets to mark items. Use numbers only to indicate priority (such as steps in instructions);
• Use end punctuation when at least one item contains a complete sentence, not a word or phrase. If you use end punctuation for any item, use it for all items;
• Keep all the items in the list parallel.
  
  

We'll now work through some example of how to turn a paragraph into a parallel vertical list.

This list below explains how someone should reduce salt consumption.

All the listed items can be understood individually and they are all commands, so to that extent they are parallel. But the third point doesn’t fit with the introductory statement.

‘Do’ should be omitted to create a true parallel structure. It might then be a good idea to group the positive and negative commands.

Unfortunately the job isn’t complete, as there is now an odd mixture of positive and negative. The best solution might be to shift the remaining positive statement into the introductory statement.