Bullet points: king penguin
The Grammar Bit!
Bullet points are a relatively recent form of punctuation. They are used to help the reader locate information quickly and precisely, especially when there is a lot of complicated information to be understood. Most commonly they break down information into lists of items or key points.
When using bullet points in your writing, try to be consistent by following these rules:
- Finish your introductory statement with a colon.
- A bullet that is a complete sentence should start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
- Bullets in a list should be consistent in style – single words, or phrases, or sentences, but not a mixture.
With your talk partner, read the information about the king penguin opposite and see if the rules listed above have been followed.
Scintillating Sentences
In the wild, king penguins face a number of threats:
- They have to endure the harsh winters of the Antarctic, which on average are as low as -49°C.
- At sea, predators of king penguins include leopard seals and killer whales.
- In the colonies, sheathbills and giant petrels take eggs and young birds.
Did you know?
King penguin chicks hatch naked and grow down feathers within a few weeks. The chick is dependent upon its parents for survival until it grows its waterproof feathers, which can take more than a year!