# Big Space Before and After Enumerate

I am typing an enumerated list, and when I compile there is about half a page of space between the list and the text surrounding it. The code:

and $a,b\in\R$.  Then

\begin{enumerate}

\item $\vecv+(\vecw+\vecu)=(\vecv+\vecw)+\vecu$

\item $\vecv+\vecw=\vecw+\vecv$

\item $\zvect+\vecv=\vecv$

\item $\vecv+(-\vecv)=\zvect$

\item $(a+c)\vecv=a\vecv+c\vecv$

\item $a(\vecv+\vecw)=a\vecv+b\vecw$

\item $(ab)\vecv=a(b\vecv)$

\item $1\vecv=\vecv$

\end{enumerate}

We have proven


It happens for every list I type. I am working within a theorem environment, with newtheoremstyle

 \newtheoremstyle{mytheorem}
{12pt}
{12pt}
{}
{1.27cm}
{\bf}
{}
{.5em}
{}

• you don't need blank line after Then – Sigur Dec 30 '13 at 18:19
• @Sigur That is spacing to help me read the code. Eliminating it has no effect on the problem. – Joe Johnson 126 Dec 30 '13 at 18:31
• Perhaps a MWE example would be useful to help us to reproduce the same results on our end. – A.Ellett Dec 30 '13 at 18:39

Blank lines introduce new paragraphs.

By placing a blank line before your enumerate environment, you're telling LaTeX that this is a new paragraph. So extra space may or may not be added, depending on how you've set other things up.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{enumitem}
\begin{document}

\noindent
and $a,b\in R$.  Then
%%
\begin{enumerate}[topsep=1ex]

\item A is for Amy who fell down the stairs

\item B is Basil assaulted by bears

\item C is for Clara who wasted away

\item D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh

\item E is for Ernest who choked on a peach

\item F is for Fanny sucked dry by a leech

\item G is for George smothered under a rug

\item H is for Hector done in by a thug

\end{enumerate}
%%
We have proven

\end{document}


By using the enumitem package, you can more easily control spacing within the enumerate and itemize environments. I've illustrated above how to control the space that precedes the environment.

If you want to open up space to make your source document more legible, then I suggest putting % on each such line to prevent LaTeX from thinking that you're about to introduce a new paragraph.

• Adding comments had no effect. But, the enumitem package did the job. Thanks. – Joe Johnson 126 Dec 30 '13 at 18:38
• @JoeJohnson126 The effect may not be noticable in your document (we can't tell as you did not post a usable example) but it does have an effect, latex takes a completely different code path if you add a paragraph break before the enumeration. Normally you will get more vertical space, or indentation of following text, or both, although of course a documentclass can set the extra space to 0, so it may not show. – David Carlisle Dec 30 '13 at 18:44