Stem punctuation Copy

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For the stem, the simplest end punctuation is a full point but should only be used if the stem is a complete sentence.

These are the term dates.

• • • 12 January —  23 March
    • 14 April — 18 July
    • 4 September — 20 December

For stems that are incomplete sentences, use the colon, and break the stem for greatest clarity.

The objectives of the beginner’s editing course are:

• • • to introduce proofreading techniques
    • to identify the most common mistakes, and
    • to give practice in marking up a set of proofs.

BEST PRACTICE TIP: Do not split an infinitive – ie start each list item with ‘to’ rather than tack that onto the stem.