Format examples

  • When introducing an example at the end of a sentence, use a comma or an em dash before the example.

  • When introducing a short example in the middle of a sentence, use parentheses to enclose the example.

  • For longer examples in the middle of a sentence, it's recommended to rewrite the sentence for better clarity, potentially placing the example at the end.

  • Avoid using phrases like "for example" or semicolons before introducing examples within sentences.

To introduce an example in a sentence, use the guidance in the following table. You can introduce examples using such as, for example, or like in various ways.

Guidance Recommended Not recommended
Introduce a short-to-medium-length example at the end of a sentence. For clarity, consider setting off the example using a comma, parentheses, or an em dash as appropriate. Avoid using a semicolon for this purpose.

Choose a strong encryption algorithm, such as AES-256.

You can monitor various metrics for your managed database instances—for example, CPU utilization, storage capacity, and active connections.

The API supports common image formats like PNG and JPEG.

Enter a name for the instance, for example, my-instance-99.

Specify the region for deployment; for example, us-central1.

Enter a name for the instance (for example, my-instance-99).
Introduce a short example in the middle of a sentence. Keep the example in the middle of a sentence relatively short and consider setting it off with dashes, commas, or parentheses as appropriate.

Enter a six-digit hex number (for example, 228B22), and then click OK.

The virtual machine (VM) requires an operating system, such as Ubuntu 22.04, to be installed.

Some elements, like buttons and input fields, have default accessibility attributes.

 Enter a six-digit hex number (for example, if you want the color forest green, enter 228B22), and then click OK.
Introduce a longer example as a separate sentence. For a longer example, introduce it as a separate sentence using for example as an adverb in that sentence. You can assign tags to your virtual machine instances to categorize them. For example, you could tag instances by environment with env:prod or env:dev.