Lists turn prose into action

In this lesson you will learn unordered and ordered lists, nested sublists, and the spacing habits that keep lists rendering the way you typed them.

Syntax

- Unordered item (dash, plus, or star all work)

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

- Parent item
  - Nested sub-item (two spaces in)
  - Another sub-item

Ordered lists keep their own numbering: type 1. on every line if you like — the renderer numbers them sequentially. Use numbers when order matters (steps, rankings) and bullets when it does not (options, ingredients, ideas).

A real example

## Launch checklist

- Venue
  - Confirm capacity
  - Check projector
- Invites
  - Draft the list
  - Send by Thursday

1. Lock the agenda
2. Run the rehearsal
3. Open the doors

What usually goes wrong

• Missing blank line — a list jammed directly under a paragraph can merge into it. Leave one blank line before the first item.
• Inconsistent indentation — nested items need the same indent (two spaces). One item at three spaces and the next at two breaks the nesting visually.
• Renumbering by hand — do not renumber a long ordered list when a step moves; the renderer already handles the counting.

This lesson stays with plain list items on purpose. Checkable boxes have their own syntax and their own behavior in Preview — they get a dedicated lesson.

Weekend project

Buy paint and brushes
Prep the walls on Saturday
Paint on Sunday
Clean up and review

Next: pointing outward and embedding media — Links and images.