The colonWhen and When Not to Use the Colon

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The colonQuizzes When and When Not t

o Use the Colon

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The colon

The colon is a widely misused but very useful piece of punctuation. Use it correctly and it can add precision to your written work as well as impressing your tutors and future employers. There are not many people around who are able to use colons correctly. The colon has a number of functions:

Introduce an idea

Introduce a list

Introduce quoted material

Style

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To introduce an idea

The colon has two main uses. Firstly it is used to introduce an idea that is an explanation or continuation of the one that comes before the colon. The colon can be considered as a gateway inviting the reader to go on. Have a look at these examples:

a) You are left with only one option: Press on until you have mastered it.

b) There is one thing you need to know about coleslaw: it looks and tastes like slurry.

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In the preceding examples you have some idea of what will come after the colon. It is important to note that the clause that comes before the colon can stand alone and make complete sense on its own.

If the initial clause cannot stand alone and make complete sense, you should not use a colon.

There is some debate about whether the clause following the colon should begin with a capital letter or not. If the colon precedes a formal quote, you should begin the language of that quote with a capital letter. If the explanation that follows the colon contains more than one sentence, you should use a capital letter. In other cases, some guides simply advise consistency, others advise that a capital should always be used.

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To introduce a list

The second main use of the colon is to introduce a list. You need to take care; many people assume that a colon always precedes a list. This is not the case. Again it is important to remember that the clause that precedes the colon must make complete sense on its own.

Have a look at these examples:

1. The potion contained some exotic ingredients: snails' eyes, bats' tongues and garlic.

2. The magic potion contained sesame seeds, bran flakes and coleslaw.

In the first sentence, the clause preceding the colon has a subject and a predicate and makes complete sense on its own 'The potion contained some exotic ingredients.'

In the second sentence a colon should not be used, as the clause that would precede it would not make sense alone 'The magic potion contained'.

Subject Predicate

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To introduce quoted material

The colon has other uses: it can also be used after a clause introducing quoted material. Have a look at this example:

The director often used her favorite quotation from Monty Python: 'I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition.'

If the colon precedes a quotation, you should begin the language of that quote with a capital letter.

Have a go at this question.

Which of these sentences uses the colon correctly.

b. Well done. You can use a colon to introduce a list as long as the phrase before the colon can stand alone and still make sense.

a)

b)

c)

The potion contained: cheese, snails and lucozade.

The potion contained the following: cheese, snails and lucozade.

The potion contained: cheese: snails: lucozade.

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Style.

Having mastered the correct use of the colon, it is useful to make it work for you in your writing. Using a colon can add emphasis to an idea. For example, consider the following two sentences:

The one thing mankind cannot live without is hope.

There is one thing that mankind cannot live without: hope.

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the second makes the point a little more forcefully. Now we are in the realms of style, it is important to emphasise that you, as the writer, have to decide how to make your newfound expertise with punctuation work for you. Do not be tempted to overuse colons. They are powerful but should be used with precision and care.

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When and When Not to Use the Colon

Colon (:) is one of the oldest punctuation marks in use in English for more than four centuries. Here is where you will use a colon in written language.

Separating Quotes

In Explanations

Shows What Follows

Syntactical-deductive and Syntactical-descriptive

General Guidelines

Typographical Elements

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Shows What Follows

The major use of a colon is to show you what follows after a related statement has been made. The colon in this regard attracts attention to a list of items or an explanation.

For instance:

During my holidays, I occasioned to pass through these places of interest: the Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, and the Angkor Wat.

Fast runners have a common motto: Take deep breath, focus on the target, and rush it.

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Separating Quotes

We use the colon to separate any quote from an independent clause that introduces the quote.

John’s deductions came out true, based on his belief in the famous Shakespearean quote: “All’s well that ends well.”

You may occasionally find in fiction that the author uses a colon to separate the dialog from the attribution.

Jean’s words resounded in her ears: “You can’t escape…”

Mary had only one thing to say: “I can’t help loving him.”

In these sentences, we omit comma, which is the usual quotation used to set off dialogs. These quotes are totally independent ones and should be given more importance than the normal dialogs. That’s why we set them off this way.

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In Explanations

When you explain something with more than one reason to state, and all those reasons can be included within a single paragraph, then the best way to set apart the explanation is using a colon.

The army failed in the battle due to these major reasons: Firstly, there were not many men trained enough to fight such a war. The soldiers were mostly hungry, and their health and morale were soon down. Secondly, we fought the war from the valley, and always the side uphill has the advantage.

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Syntactical-deductive and Syntactical-descriptive

When speculating the result (syntactical-deductive) of something, use colon to separate the speculation.

The outcome of the match is obvious: Brazil will win the title.

When describing something with a single sentence (syntactical-descriptive).

It was almost impossible for them to win the match: Five of their best players were injured.

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Typographical Elements

In the following typographical elements, use colon.

In a title and a subtitle, set the subtitle off with a colon: Hamlet, Act IV, Scene I: Elsinore. A Room in the Castle

Time of the day: 2:20 pm

Chapters and verses of Bible or other holy texts: John 4:13

Use colon in mathematical contexts like ratios: 4:5

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General Guidelines

When using colons, you can put capital letters or small case after the colon. Begin the sentence with capital in case of dialogs, explanations, predictions, etc. In case of a list, use small caps.

Use white space only after the colon, not before it. The white space is omitted in mathematical contexts, citing Bible references, and telling the time. Never, also, follow the colon immediately with a dash or a hyphen.

Do NOT Use colon In between a normal verb and its object. The example below shows the wrong use of colon, and should be avoided.

John gave me: a new pair of pincers, two packs of blade, and a shaving set.

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Quiz 1

a.

b.

c.

Which of these is correct?

B. There is no need for a colon here

The potion contained: fruit, biscuits and glue.

The potion contained fruit, biscuits and glue.

The potion: contained fruit, biscuits and glue.

a.

b.

c.

You have only one choice: Leave now while you can.

You have only one choice leave now while you can.

You have only one choice. Leave now while you can.

Correct. A colon works well here.

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a.

b.

c.

Which of these is correct?

A. Correct. The phrase before the colon makes sense on its own.

I can see only one thing: the old lighthouse.

I can see only one thing the old lighthouse.

I can see: only one thing the old lighthouse.

a.

b.

c.

In the bag were: scissors, a hairbrush and her address book.

In the bag were the following: scissors, a hairbrush and her address book.

In the bag there were: scissors, a hairbrush and her address book.

Correct. B. The phrase before the colon makes sense on its own.

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Read each of these sentences and decide whether there needs to be a colon and whether it's in the right place.

There was only one thing that Mr. Colbert worried about: exactly where was the bear at that moment.

Right Wrong

Correct - There was only one thing that Mr. Colbert worried about: exactly where was the bear at that moment.

She was responsible for: invitations, seat assignment, and greeting the guests.

Right Wrong

Wrong - She was responsible for invitations, seat assignment, and greeting the guests.

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She was able to sing: pop, opera, country, and soul.

Right Wrong

Wrong - She was able to sing pop, opera, country, and soul.

He had only one need in order to survive: water.

Right Wrong

Correct - He had only one need in order to survive: water.

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