Arlene Miller's Blog, page 63

Lie/Lay and More Confusing Words

We’re back with more confusing words….maybe you will find one or more here that drive you nuts  Here we go….

1. Its/It’s - Most of us know this one by now (?). But if you should have a moment of confusion, as we all do, it’s easy. All contractions have apostrophes: I’m, can’t, don’t, won’t, she’ll, etc. Well, so does it’s! It means it is, shortened to a contraction. So when it’s means it is, it is like all other contractions: written with an apostrophe. On the other hand, its without the apostrophe is possessive. And like all the other possessive pronouns (yours, ours, theirs, his), it has no apostrophe.

2. These/Those – These and those are plural. So don’t use them to describe singular nouns:

Correct: These kinds of apples / this kind of apple

Incorrect: These kind of apples

3. Lay/Lie – If you are going to use lay, you need an object. In other words, you need to lay something.

I am going to lie on the sofa.

I am going to lay my purse on the sofa.

It gets more confusing in the other tenses:

Yesterday, I lay on the sofa.

Yesterday, I laid my purse on the sofa.

Every day this week, I have lain on the sofa.

Every day this week, I have laid my purse on the sofa.

4. Lead/Led – The only type of lead that has an a in it is the lead in your pencil. The verb to lead is spelled led in the past tense.

He leads the band.

He led the band.

5. Leave/Let – This one doesn’t seem to be confused too often any longer. To let is to allow. We leave someone alone. We don’t let him alone. But you might let him be alone.

6.  Lend/Loan - Technically, lend is a verb and loan is a noun. You lend someone money. You give them a loan; you don’t loan them money.

7. Less /Fewer – Less is used with singular nouns or things you cannot count. Fewer is used with plural nouns and things you can count.

I have less money than you do. I have fewer dimes than you do.

I ate less pizza than you did. I ate fewer pieces of pizza than you did.

8. Libel /Slander - You don’t want to be accused of either libel or slander. And you don’t want to be the victim of either! Both will ruin your reputation. Libel is writing something negative and untrue about someone. Slander is speaking it.

9. Like/As if -  These are both used for comparison. Like is used for a simple comparison, usually followed by a noun. As if is used when a noun and verb follow.

She acts like a queen.

She acts as if she were a queen.

10. Lose /Loose:  If you lose too much weight you will lose your pants because they will be too loose. Nuff said.

 

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Happy Mother’s Day from The Grammar Diva!

Mother…..Mom….Ma….Mum….Mumsy…..Mama…..Mommy…..Mummy…..Baby Mama…..Mam…..Mamadukes……

Whatever we call her, everyone has a mother (in body or in spirit), is a mother, or knows a mother….

Here are some different ways to say Mother:

Arabic – Ahm

Bulgarian – Majka

Czech – Abatyse

Dutch – Moeder

French – Maman

German – Mutter

Greek – Mana

Hungarian – Anya

Hawaiian – Makuahine

Japanese – Okaasan

Latin – Mater

Maltese – Omm

Persian – Madr

Polish – Matka

Romanian – Maica

Samoan – Tina

Urdu – Ammee

Yiddish – Muter

———————————————————

Only mothers can think of the future – because they give birth to it in their children.

-Maxim Gorky

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

-Abraham Lincoln

Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.

-Robert Browning

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-Theodore Hesburgh

A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.

-Honore de Balzac

Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.

-George Eliot

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.

-Erich Fromm

 

Happy Mother’s Day from The Grammar Diva!

 

 

 

Hung? Hanged? Huh? Confusing Words Part 5

The more confusing words I write about, the more confusing words appear! Today, we tackle another ten. ENJOY!

1. alter/altar: To alter something is to change it in some way. The altar is at church.

2. got/have: Let’s say my birthday was last week. Let’s say I got some gifts. Now I have those gifts.  I don’t got them. I have something. In the past I had something.  I get something. In the past I got it. Got is not a present tense verb, so to say I don’t got any isn’t correct. It also sounds crummy.

3. hanged/hung: Let’s say that today I am hanging a picture. Yesterday, I hung a picture. Yesterday, I also hung the laundry out to dry (Oh, yes, we all have dryers these days….well, a bunch of years ago.) But yesterday, they hanged a man. Hanged is used as the past tense of hang only when there is a noose involved.

4. healthful/healthy: If you whip up a wheatgrass and kale smoothie (no thanks…I’ll pass), you will be healthy. However, the smoothie is healthful. People are healthy. Dogs too. But when something provides you with good health, it is healthful.

5. however/therefore: These are technically not confusing words as far as when to use them. However, it can be confusing to know whether you can put commas around these words or whether you need a semicolon (or a period). Look at these examples.

I think, therefore, that I am right and you are wrong.

I study, therefore, I do well on my tests.

Here is what you do: take out however or therefore, and read the sentence without it. If you have a good sentence, the comma is fine. However, if you are left with a run-on sentence, you need a period or a semicolon.  In the first example, the commas are fine; the sentence, without therefore, reads…”I think that I am right and you are wrong.” In the second sentence, if you take out therefore, you get…”I study, I do well on my tests.” Since that is a run on, you need a semicolon or a period before therefore. You can also add a conjunction and keep the commas. (I study and, therefore, I do well on my tests.)

6. I could care less: Yes, this one is still around. Now think about it. If you could care less, you care some and you probably wouldn’t be talking about this at all.  You are making the comment because you don’t care at all. Therefore, you couldn’t care any less than you already care, because you already care zero!

7. if/whether: If is often used when whether should be used. If is conditional; whether implies a choice. Here are examples:

If it rains, we won’t go hiking

I don’t know whether I should go hiking today. (not I don’t know if I should go hiking today.)

When or not appears in the sentence, use whether.

I don’t know whether I should go or not.

8. into/in to: Usually, there is not a problem with making this one word or two. But sometimes, it really matters!

I turned my car into the shopping mall. This implies that some magic was done! (…in to the shopping mall)

I turned my book into the library. Another magic trick! (…in to the library)

Most of the time into as one word will work fine!

9. irregardless: This one is still around too! It is a nonstandard word, and it is best not to use it. It contains two negatives: ir- and -less. The correct word is simply regardless. Often followed by of, it means without regard to or in spite of.

We are going regardless of the weather.

10. imply/infer: These two words are sort of opposites and go in different directions. Imply means to suggest or hint at something without coming right out and saying it. So you might imply by your smile that you are happy. Someone looking at you would see your smile and infer that you are happy. So implying is sending the information out, and inferring is taking the information in.

 

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Does Earth Start with a Capital “E” ? Confusing Words Part 4

This post is the fourth in our series of confusing words. I hope you are enjoying the series and that it is clearing up some word problems for you!

Here are this week’s ten problematic words/word pairs:

1. Earth/earth: Does earth begin with a capital E? Usually it does not. The only time you begin earth with a capital E is when you are using it in the same sentence or context with other heavenly bodies that are capitalized. The names of the other planets are capitalized, but the sun and the moon are not. Examples:

Recycling is just one of the ways in which we can take care of the earth.
Both Jupiter and Saturn are larger than Earth.
 

2. Emigrate/Immigrate: Emigrate has the prefix -e, which means out. So to emigrate means to leave  a country. To immigrate is to go to a country.

They emigrated from Russia to the United States.
They left Russia and immigrated to the United States.
 

3.  Eminent/Imminent: These two words are completely unrelated. Eminent means well-known or renowned in one’s field.  Imminent means about to happen.

Dr. Ray is an eminent scientist in the field of cosmology.
Looking at the dark sky, I would say a storm is imminent .
 

4. Everyone/Every one: Sometimes everyone is one word; other times it is two. It depends on how you are using it. When it should be two words, you will probably find yourself pausing slightly.

Everyone on the list is coming to the party. (meaning everybody)
Every one of the cakes arrived safely at the party. (meaning every single one of them)
 

5. Fewer/Less: This pair of words is really not that confusing. Use fewer with plurals, and use less with singulars or things that cannot be counted.

There are fewer cookies on this plate than on the other one.
There is less cake on this plate.
 

6. Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, Lastly: As transition words, use first, second, third, and last instead of adding the -ly at the end. And please don’t use first off!

First, add sugar. Second, add butter. Third, cream them together. Last, add the flour.
 

7. Formally/Formerly: Formally involves tuxedos and gowns and is from the word formal. Formerly is what happened before, from the word former.

You need to dress formally for the wedding.
Jane Smith was formerly known as Jane Mills before she got married.
 

8. Former/Latter: If you have mentioned two things, the former is the first one you mentioned, and the latter is the second.

I have two dogs, a chihuahua and a Great Dane. The former is named Tiny, and the latter is named Big Boy.
 

9. Farther/Further: Farther has to do with distance. Further means any more.

I live farther away from the college than you do.
I cannot talk about this any further today.

10. Good/well: Good is an adjective; well is an adverb. Adjectives are used to describe nouns, usually. Adverbs are used to describe action verbs, usually. Adjectives, however, are used after linking verbs (for example, the verb to be, look, taste, feel, etc.). Note that even though it is an adverb, well can be used after the to be verb to indicate a state of health. (See example below.)

He plays tennis well .
I did well on the test.
I feel good today.
That cake looks good.
I feel well. 
 
Next week: more confusing words
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Here Come Another Ten: Confusing Words Part 3

You all seem to like the Confusing Words series of blog posts, so here is number 3! Here are ten more words or word pairs that can be problematic.

Confusing Words

1. Continual/Continuous: These words have slightly different meanings. Continual means happening over and over again, usually in rapid succession. Continuous, however, means without stopping. Examples:

We have had continuous rain all day; it hasn’t stopped for even a minute.

The continual snowstorms this year have made clearing all the snow really difficult.

2. Could of/Would of/Should of: You’re right! These are wrong!  It is could have, would have, and should have! You can use could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve if you want, but I don’t really like the contraction when the word being shortened is have. Obviously, woulda, shoulda, and coulda are unacceptable!

3. Criteria/Data: These two words don’t have anything to do with one another except for the fact that they are actually plural forms. The singular form of criteria is criterion, and the singular form of data is actually datum.

When you are talking about one criterion, use the singular. If you are taking about more than one, use criteria. Sometimes, people will use criteria to mean just one.

Data,  however, is usually considered to be singular, and datum is rarely used at all.

Examples:

You need to meet one more criterion before you can be considered for the promotion.

These are the four criteria for getting into the advanced class.

The data is in, and it shows that our profit has increased this year. (You could say data are, but you probably wouldn’t.)

4. Desert/Dessert: There are three of these to confuse. There is the sweet one, the dry one, and the lonely one. Here they are, used correctly:

I want chocolate cake for dessert.

It is too hot for me in the desert.

If you desert your fellow soldiers, you will be in big trouble. (Pronounced that same as the sweet one.)

5. Discrete/Discreet: Many of us don’t even realize there are two different words here, and that they have completely different meanings.

Discreet is the one having to do with keeping a secret.

Discrete means separate.

I am telling you this secret because I know you will be discreet.

Please put these folders into three discrete piles by date of creation.

6. Disinterested/Uninterested:  If you don’t like watching baseball or football, you are probably uninterested in sports (not interested). If you are judging a competition, we hope you are disinterested (impartial, having no interest in who wins.)

I am uninterested in reading about history.

We need a disinterested person to decide which team will go first.

7. Dived/Dove: These two words are both perfectly fine past tenses of the verb dive. Use whichever you wish, but be consistent in the same piece of writing.

He dove into the pool. He dived into the pool. You pick!

8. Duel/Dual: The ones with the guns or swords is called a duel. The one that simply means two is dual.

The cowboys decided who was boss with a duel.

This dual-purpose machine both grinds and brews the coffee.

9. e.g./i.e.:  These abbreviations come from Latin.

e.g. means exempli gratis, or for example.

i.e., means id est, or that is.

You can always forget about the abbreviation and just spell out that is or for example. Either way, use commas before and after the expression.

Long-haired dogs, e.g., poodles, don’t shed or cause allergies. Long-haired dogs, for example, poodles, don’t shed.

The shortest month of the year, i.e., February, has only 28 days. The shortest month of the year, that is, February has only 28 days.

10. etc.: This abbreviation means and the others, not to be confused with the two abbreviations in #9. It is usually used at the end of the sentence and is preceded by a comma.

Music genres include jazz, rock, pop, classical, country, rap, etc.

 

Stay tuned for more confused words in future posts!

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Ten Words You Might Confuse: Confusing Words Part 2

Last week we talked about some confusing words, and we’re on a roll….here are ten more commonly confused words.

1. Anyway/Anyways: NO, anyways is not the plural of anyway! (Jut kidding.) There is no anyways. That goes for anywhere, everywhere, and somewhere. There are no anywheres, everywheres, or somewheres.

2. Bad/Badly: This is a tough one. Bad is an adjective. For example: Bad taste, bad dog. Bad describes a noun. Badly is an adverb and, as such, describes a verb. For example: I did badly, I play tennis badly. Okay, that is the easy part. But there is, of course, an exception to this rule. When you use certain verbs, called linking verbs or being verbs, you use the adjective rather than the adverb. These verbs include the verb to be  (I am, you are, etc.) and the verbs that can sometimes express emotions or senses (feel, taste, smell, look, sound). Some verbs can be either action verbs (taking an adverb) or linking verbs (taking an adjective), depending on how they are used.. Here are some examples:

The dog is bad.  (but The dog is behaving badly.)

I feel bad. (If you feel badly, that means there is something wrong with your fingertips.)

The pizza tastes bad. (Compare to the action meaning of taste: I taste the sugar in this.)

This meat smells bad. (Compare to the action meaning of smells: I smell the chocolate.)

This dinner looks bad. (Compare to the action meaning of looks: I look at the dinner on the table.)

The CD sounds bad. (Compare to the action meaning of sound: I sound the horn.)

Note: It is also proper to say I feel good. However, you can also say I feel well (an adverb) because well is acceptable meaning a state of health.

3. Bring/Take: These two words go in opposite directions. You take something away, but you bring it back.

4. By accident/On accident: It has always been by accident, but lately I hear young people saying on accident. After all, we say on purpose, right? But, as far as I know it is still correct to say by accident.

5. Capital/Capitol: Usually the word you want is capital with an -al. It is capital letters, and Sacramento is the capital of California. Capitol with an -ol is used to refer to the actual Capitol building.

6.Cite/Site/Sight: Cite is a verb meaning to refer to something: She cited the my new book in her speech. Site is a noun and refers to a place: There was an accident at the construction site. Sight is usually a noun, but can also be a verb: That is a great sight to see. I can sight the building from here.

7. Climactic/Climatic: The first one, climactic, comes from climax. The second one, climatic, has to do with the weather and comes from climate.

8.Cloths/Clothes: When I wash the car, I use cloths. When I go shopping, I buy clothes. These two words are pronounced differently. The first has a short sounding o, and ends with an s sound. The second word has a long o sound and ends with a z sound.

9. Conscience/Conscious: The first hurdle is being able to spell these words in the first place! Conscience is a noun, and is the thing that gets guilty and tells you that you may have done something wrong. Conscious is an adjective and means that you are aware.

10. Complement/Compliment: If you say something nice to me, you are paying me a compliment with an i. If you are telling me that my dress brings out the green in my eyes, you are telling me that the dress complements my eyes–with an e. Complement means to go well together.

Stay tuned for Part 3….more confusing words.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Happy weekend to all!

 

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Help! Which Word Do I Use? Confusing Words Part 1

In this post, we begin another series—commonly confused words—and there are quite a few of them! We’re still working on our Weird and Wonderful Words series too and have gotten up to O, so be on the lookout for the completion of that series.

But today we turn our attention to those words—or word pairs—that often stump and confuse. We will start at the beginning of the alphabet. 

1. Advice/Advise: These two words are different parts of speech and are pronounced differently. In advice, the c has an s sound, and the word is a noun. In advise, the s has a z sound, and the word is a verb. Examples:

I have some good advice for you.
Could you advise me on this legal matter?
 

2. Affect/Effect: This troublesome pair is the granddaddy of troublesome! Once again, these words are different parts of speech. Affect is a verb, an action. Effect is a noun, a thing. You can put an article in front of effect (the effect, an effect).  Examples:

The hot weather has a positive effect on my mood.
The hot weather affects me and improves my mood.
 

3. Allusion/Illusion: These words are both nouns, but have entirely different meanings. An allusion is a reference to something; its verb is to allude. An illusion is something you see that isn’t there, and there is no verb. Examples:

He made an allusion to Shakespeare in his speech about playwriting.
The water you sometimes think you see ahead on the highway is just an illusion.
 

4. Almost/Most: The general rule: If you can use almost in a sentence, use it. Don’t use most. When it is correct to use most, almost will not make sense in its place. Example:

Almost everyone is here by now. (Don’t say most everyone.)
Most of the pizza is gone. ( Almost doesn’t make sense there, so use most .)
 

5. Already/All ready: Already is an adverb that tells when. All ready is an adjective. Example:

 
Is it already time to go?
I am all ready to go.
 

6. Alright/All right: This one is easy. Always use all right as two words. Alright isn’t a word (or is a really slang word, so avoid it). Example:

Everything will be all right.
All right . I will go with you.
 

7. Altogether/All together: Altogether means totally or completely.This pair is best shown by example:

It is altogether too cold for me!
Let’s sing all together! (Or Let’s all sing together , where you split the words.)
 

8. Among/Between: These two words are both prepositions. Between is used when you are talking about two people or things; among is used when you are referring to more than two people or things. Example:

Divide the cake between you and your sister.
Divide the cake among the four of you.
 

9. Anymore/Any more: Anymore is an adverb that tells when and means any longer. Any more means additional. Anymore is generally referred to in a negative sense and sounds wrong when there is no negative in the sentence. Example:

I can’t find that type of candy anymore .  (negative can’t )
I don’t want any more pasta, thank you.
I wish I could find that type of candy anymore. (Not correct. No negative in the sentence. Sounds very weird to me, but I hear people say it.)
 

10. Anyone/Any one: Anyone refers to a person. Any one doesn’t necessarily refer to a person, and is generally followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of.  Example:

Anyone can eat the leftover pizza.
Any one of you could probably fix the broken chair.
 

Stay tuned for more confusing words in future blog installments!

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  Coming Summer 2014!

A Toast to Words – Part 3

Photo from Pinterest

And here is the final (well, maybe) installment of A Toast to Words….perhaps there are some tidbits here that you didn’t know.

The word triskaidekaphobia means fear of the number 13.  It is related to paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is the fear of Friday the 13th.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. What is so special about that sentence? It contains all 26 letters of the alphabet and is often used to test keyboards.

What is the shortest sentence in the English language? Very likely, Go. (It is a verb. The subject is the implied [you] in the command.)

Brunch, guesstimate, and motel are words that have something in common. Do you know what it is? They are called blends. They are made by joining just parts of existing words (unlike a compound word) to form a new word. Brunch is breakfast and lunch. Motel is motorcar and hotel. Guesstimate is, of course, guess and estimate.

Where did the name for Oz in The Wizard of Oz come from? Its creator, Frank Baum, looked up at his file cabinet and saw A-N and  O-Z.  I guess An was already taken!

Do you know Donald Duck’s middle name? Fauntleroy.

H, I, O, and X are the four letters that look the same if they are flipped upside down or viewed from the back.

Q is the only letter that does not appear in any of the 50 state’s names.

Canada is an Indian word that means Big Village.

Underground and underfund  are the only words in the English language that begin and end with und.

Therein contains nine words without rearranging any of the letters: the, there, in, herein, here, ere, rein, he, her.

The letter combination ough can be pronounced in nine different ways. Here are the sounds in various words:  rough, dough, thought, plough, through,  Scarborough, slough, cough, hiccoughed.

The plastic sleeve sausage is sold in is called a chub.

Indivisibility has only one vowel repeated 6 times!

Do you know what the highest scoring word in Scrabble is?  quartzy!

 

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Weird and Wonderful Words (Part 4: l,m,n)

A neologist is one who makes up new words. Well, I am not a neologist, and these words are not made up, but they are less known than most words! This is the third installment of the Weird and Wonderful Words series. Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. So here we go: L, M and N:

L

labtebricole – living in holes

lacustrine – of or having to do with a lake

laeotropic – turning to the left

lapidate – to stone to death

latrinalia – graffiti found in restrooms

lexer – a law student

limophoitos – insanity due to lack of food

liripipes –  a long scarf or cord attached to and hanging from a hood

lutrine – of, like, or pertaining to otters

M

maelid – apple nymph (no, I don’t know that that is!)

maffick –  to rejoice with an extravagant and boisterous public celebration

mammothrept – a spoiled child

marrano –  Jew who converted to Christianity to avoid persecution

meldropa –  drop of mucus at the end of the nose

misopaedia –  the hatred of children (aw, no!)

monomania – an obsession with one idea or interest

mosh –  to engage in uninhibited, frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert (mosh pit – the place near the stage at a rock concert where moshing occurs)

mundungus – stinky tobacco

muriphobia – fear of mice

N

napiform – resembling a turnip

neologist – one who makes up new words

neophobia – a fear of novelty

nidify – to build a nest

niff – an unpleasant smell

noology – science of the intellect

nothosonomia – the act of calling someone a bastard

nucivorous – nut-eating

nudiustertian – pertaining to the day before yesterday

nupson – a simpleton or fool

 

 

 

 

Colon Alert: Something’s Coming…

If a colon (the punctuation symbol, not the internal organ) could talk, it would say,”Pay attention to what is coming.”  A colon is used to alert the reader that some important information follows. Here are the common uses for the colon:

Used in digital time after the hour to tell you about the minutes (10:45)
Used sometimes to introduce a quote that is a sentence or longer
Often used between the title and subtitle of a book in text (not on the actual cover)
Used between two sentences when the second sentence expands upon or explains the first one
Used after the greeting of a business letter (Dear Mr. James:)
And, of course, used to introduce a list, either vertical or horizontal

This post deals with the last one, using colons to introduce a list. First of all, forget about semicolons (;) right now; the semicolon is not used in any of the same ways as the colon. Colons (or occasionally periods, but never semicolons) are used to introduce lists.

I was once taught not to use a colon (but to use a period instead) unless the words “following” or “as follows” were used in the sentence introducing the list. Not really true. You can use a colon anyway. I was also taught at this time not to use following as a noun, because it is an adjective. Okay, generally true except Justin Bieber still has a following, as do the Beatles. But I digress. It is true that following should probably have a noun after it. For example

Please make sure you have the following: (okay)

Please make sure you have the following items: (better)

Horizontal Lists

Use a colon in a horizontal list when the information before the colon is a complete sentence. Otherwise, there is no punctuation. Look at these two examples:

Please bring the following items: pen, pencil, notebook, and laptop. (Since there is no complete sentence after the colon, no capital letter is needed.)

Please bring: pen, pencil, notebook, and laptop.

The second sentence is not correct. There should be no colon after bring. There is no stop there if you are reading the sentence, so do not put any punctuation in it. Correct: Please bring a pen, a pencil, a notebook, and a laptop.

Vertical Lists

You have a little more leeway in a vertical list. It is still best to use a complete sentence to introduce the list if you want to use a colon. If the introduction is not a complete sentence, you don’t need any punctuation. However, since the list is more separate in a vertical list than in a horizontal, you can get by with a colon. See the examples here.

Please bring the following items:

pen
pencil
notebook
laptop

Or you can say

Please bring (or Please “bring:” if you must)

pen
pencil
notebook
laptop

You don’t use any periods after the items in a vertical list unless they are complete sentences. And if one item in your list is a complete sentence, all items should be. They should also all be written with the same structure (called parallel structure). 

Sometimes people write a vertical list as if it were a sentence. For example

Please bring

a pencil,
a pen,
a notebook, and
a laptop.

I don’t personally like this method, but it is okay to use.

Here is an example of a list that isn’t parallel because one item is not a complete sentence:

In this seminar you will discuss these important things:

Marketing is a full-time job.
You need to use social media.
Proofreading your writing.
Blogging is very helpful.
It is important to develop your brand.

The proofreading item doesn’t belong. It is the only item that is not a complete sentence.

Here is another list that isn’t parallel because one item is structured differently:

In this seminar you will learn

how to market your project
how to develop your brand
how to create a website
blogging every day (doesn’t fit here!)
how to best proofread your writing

(You could have capitalized the items in the previous list if you wanted to.)

Here are a few other tips:

No, you don’t need to use bullets in your lists unless you want to. However they are effective.

You can use numbers if the order of your items is important, or the number of items is important or previously mentioned.

You can capitalize items in a vertical list even if they are not complete sentences.

 

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