punctuation - What is the best way to punctuate a list of questions in a declarative sentence?


In my report a need to write a list of example questions that someone might ask, but I would like to do it in a sentence rather than a separate list. Here is an example:



This poses questions such as "How should I punctuate it?", "Are the quotes necessary?", "Are the commas in the correct place?", and "Should I have used a colon, or a semi-colon?"




Answer



I'd use a bulleted list and drop the quotation marks, like so:



This poses questions such as:



  • How should I punctuate it?

  • Are the quotes necessary?

  • Are the commas in the correct place?

  • Should I have used a colon, or a semi-colon?



Such formatting would look out of place in a novel or other prose, but would look very natural online or in some technical document. While I may be a product of my time, I think bulleted lists are an excellent way to break up a list of items and does so without a bunch of cluttering punctuation.


In cases where a bulleted list would be out of place, I'd suggest using a colon and ditching the quotation marks, like so:



This poses questions such as: How should I punctuate it? Are the quotes necessary? Are the commas in the correct place? Should I have used a colon, or a semi-colon?



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