Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.
English has several kinds of punctuation, one of which is the colon (:). Contrary to popular belief, this punctuation mark’s function is easy to remember: it introduces additional information after a complete thought.
Nope, this colon post isn’t about your internal organs! Keep reading to learn the different functions of the colon as a punctuation mark and how to use it in a sentence.
A colon is a punctuation mark whose symbol resembles two periods on top of each other (:). It’s often known as an introductory punctuation mark. Colons show the audience pieces of information that clarify the previous statement.
This punctuation mark is also helpful for separating independent clauses from quotations. You’ll find it in time expressions, Bible verses, and movie and book titles.
Colon comes from the Greek word kōlon. It means a part of a clause, verse, or limb, specifically a leg. Keith Houston, an author, stated that it originated in the third century BC in the Hellenic Egyptian city of Alexandria.
How to Use a Colon?
Use a colon to show dialogue or emphasis in your writing. You may also use it to introduce lists, clarify titles, and separate two independent clauses in sentences.
Imagine the colon as an arrow pointing to an essential detail in the sentence. Here are the common usages of this punctuation mark.
In English grammar, a colon is a proper punctuation for showing dialogue. Write the speaker’s name, add the colon, then their statement. Check out the example below.
Mike: Graduate students need at least one mentor to guide them in different career possibilities.
Jane: I agree. A mentor will also help them craft their Plan of Study.
Rory: Peers are more important for me. Joining groups will help graduate student enhance their learning experience.
If you feel like you need to explain or restate something in another independent clause, a colon is your best friend. An independent clause, for reference, is a clause that stands as a single sentence.
Remember to capitalize the first letter of both independent clauses as if they are separate sentences.
In the English language, appositives are nouns or noun phrases that give information about the earlier noun. Use a colon at a sentence’s ending to emphasize an appositive.
Use a colon at a statement’s ending to introduce a question.
Take a look at the above examples, especially the last sentence. The statement after the colon explains the “two questions” in the previous statement.
It has its own subject and verb. That means it can stand alone as a sentence despite the question variety. Therefore, the word after the colon starts with a big letter.
One of the most common colon functions is that it can introduce lists or tabular material. It comes before the numbered or bulleted list of items. Take a look at the example of a formal list below.
There are many types of letters:
Here’s an example of a numbered list that uses a colon.
The five most common punctuation marks are:
If you want to use a sentence instead of a list, separate the items with commas.
Colons introduce quotations after an independent clause. Do not use a colon for a quote after a dependent clause. Instead, use a comma.
But if the introduction is a dependent clause and the quotation is at least one sentence, you may use both colon, or comma.
Whatever rule you follow, do not forget the quotation marks. And observe capitalization after colons if the quotation is a complete sentence. Use a lowercase letter if it’s only one word or a sentence fragment.
The punctuation mark is also useful for starting extended quotations. This type of quotation does not use quotations marks but an indention from the left margin. Below is an example.
The theater actor mentioned his favorite quotation from Shakespeare:
Use a colon between an introductory clause and another clause or phrase that emphasizes the thought.
You should also begin the clause with a capital letter if the clause after the colon is a complete sentence or proper noun.
But it can also be a matter of style. In British English, the style is still lowercase if the following explanatory statement is a complete sentence. Merriam-Webster’s style also follows lowercase.
Many style guides use a colon to put different pieces of information apart in the bibliography.
You’ll also find lots of colons in titles. Among the many types of punctuation marks, colons are the most common on headings. If you’re a fan of franchise movies or TV series, you’ve probably seen colons in them.
The subheadings of a writing piece also use colons to introduce them.
One of the most common rules of colon usage is the representation of time. These forms of punctuation are found in Bible verses and ratios too.
Aside from knowing when to use a colon, it’s also helpful to know when to avoid it. Here are some types of sentences that show punctuation mistakes.
Separating Basic Sentence Parts
A colon should not divide the noun and verb, verb and object or subject complement, and subject from predicate.
This colon in the sentence unnecessarily separates the subject from the subject complement. There are two methods to correct it.
First, you can create a list.
The places I want to visit are:
You can also remove the colon, as in “The places I want to visit are Tokyo, Bali, and the Maldives.”
It’s also wrong to separate the preposition and its object with a colon.
To Show Sentence Introductions Through Phrases
You cannot use a colon for your introductory phrase. It’s also not suitable for marking bonus phrases in a sentence. These rules are only for dashes.
The first sentence implies notebooks, laptops, and pens, saying, “Many students bring these tools to schools.”
Still making mistakes? I recommend Grammarly to help with any punctuation or grammar errors.
Colons do not separate unnecessary parts of a sentence. It is the parentheses’ job to consider the enclosed material as unnecessary.
Use the colon as material for emphasis on “Switzerland.” Meanwhile, use parentheses to place less focus on “Switzerland.”
The absolute rule is that only an independent sentence can precede a colon. You should never use colons after sentence fragments.
The material before the colon should be a complete statement. But this colon usage violates that rule. Here’s an example:
The previous sentence is wrong because you can omit the phrase “such as.” The correct sentence should be “The company is making scientific leaps: exploring renewable energy and producing eco-friendly vehicles.”
Here are some examples of how different publications use colons in their sentences.
Our updates include:
Climate change and violence can also be interrelated factors: in Honduras, for example, where repeated droughts linked to climate change have increased food insecurity, widespread violence prevents families from moving elsewhere in the country safely. (Human Rights Watch)
The movie is based on “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,” a 2014 non-fiction book about end-of-life care written by surgeon Atul Gawande. (USA Today).
He said: “Over the last 15 years, I’ve seen her mobility stripped; seen the day she stopped walking independently; the day she started living in a wheelchair; the day she moved into residential care. (BBC)
Among the trends that excite Papilion:
greater incorporation of resiliency and conservation into large public- and private-sector projects. (CSR Wire)
Unlike the period or comma, you won’t always find the colon in most sentences. That’s why some people are unaware of this punctuation mark’s functions. I hope this post has shown you the colon basics, including its usage and how to use it in a sentence.
Before using the colon, ask yourself, can the group of words preceding the colon stand on its own? If it can, then pat yourself on the back for using the punctuation mark correctly!
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