Being proficient in written communication is an irreplaceable skill in any job market. In order to communicate effectively and eloquently it is important to adhere to the rules of English grammar and punctuation.
The colon is a less commonly used part of the punctuation family, but it still has its occasional place in properly formed sentences.
Ten Ways to Use Colons:
- For simple tasks such as separating hours from minutes and chapters from verses
- 8:15 p.m. Galatians 6:10
- To relate time in athletic events
- 10:2
- Before a listing or series
- Our journalism professor gave each student a list of the following required resource books: a dictionary, a thesaurus and a stylebook.
- Before an announcement
- Now hear this: The first deadline has been changed from 10:15 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
- Remember: Capitalize the first word after the colon if it introduces a complete sentence.
- Before an explanation
- Our publisher has only one major fault: stinginess.
- For emphasis
- This much I know: Either our ratings will improve, or we will have to look for new jobs!
- Before some appositives
- The weather is typical for March: rainy and cold.
- Remember: Most appositives are punctuated with commas. (The weather, rainy and cold, is typical for the middle of March.)
- For quotations that cannot be introduced with a comma
- For more than 40 years, he drilled this point into his students’ heads: “It’s results, not excuses, that count in this life.”
- To replace the verb between the source and the quotation in a newspaper or magazine headline
- Brown: ‘I’ll resign if convicted’
- Between a title and subtitle
- Recollections: My 50 years as editor of a country newspaper
Though colons can clearly be beneficial to writing, they can also present confusion and problems when used incorrectly.
How Not to Use Colons:
- After a verb to introduce a list or a series unless a pause is clearly necessary.
- Unnecessary: The five winners are:
- Necessary: The following states were represented: Alaska, Florida, New Mexico, Missouri, Vermont and West Virginia.
- After a preposition (regardless of whether it has one or several objects).
- Wrong: The pitcher was blessed with: a strong arm, unfailing accuracy and great stamina.
- Correct: The pitcher was blessed with a strong arm, unfailing accuracy and great stamina.
- After like, such as or including
- Wrong: Network television executives depend on spectators enjoying Olympic events like/ such as/including: gymnastics, swimming and track and field.
- Correct: Network television executives depend on spectators enjoying Olympic events like/ such as/including gymnastics, swimming and track and field.
Arnold, G. (2009). Colons and Dashes. Media Writer’s Handbook (5th Edition ed., pp. 190-192). New York City: McGraw Hill.
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Nice summary. One point regarding using the colon in a sentence: a colon serves as the end punctuation for an independent clause (complete sentence), as do a period or semi-colon. If the content prior to the colon is not an independent clause, you cannot use the colon.
For example, the following sentence is incorrect: “The man saw: a tiger, a bear, and a hippo.” The text “The man saw” is not an independent clause. It cannot serve as a complete sentence, so the colon is incorrect.
This incorrect sample has a series, not a list. In a list, the listed items can be removed. You will still have a complete sentence, so you can use a colon. In a series, the items cannot be removed. They are required to make a complete sentence, so you cannot use a colon.
Incorrect: “The man saw: a tiger, a bear, a hippo.”
Correct (list): “The man saw three animals: a tiger, a bear, and a hippo.”
Correct (series): “The man saw a tiger, a bear, and a hippo.”
Here’s the point: You can use a colon with a list, but you cannot use a colon with a series.
(We discuss this particular use on http://300daysofbetterwriting.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/no-colon-required/)
I’ll add another item to your list. You can also use a colon to join two independent clauses, much like using a semi-colon. This is less common in American English than British English. Because the colon serves as the end punctuation to an independent clause, the colon can join two independent clauses.
This sentence uses the colon correctly: it uses the colon to join two independent clauses.
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