The Colon: A Fun Internal Organ or an Essential and Oft— Misunderstood Piece of Punctuation

The Colon  Punctuation that signals a “large pause” in a sentence.  Similar pause length to a period.  Usually preceded by a complete sentence.

Clearly…We Mean This Colon

Really?  The Colonoscopy for health….

No…We Mean This One

Common Usage #1

Common Usage #1 – For Real  After the greeting in a business letter  Dear Mr. President:  Dear Senator Washington:  Dear Colonial Sanders:

Common Usage #2  “Annunciatory” (announces something!)  Like a well-trained magician’s assistant, it pauses slightly to give you the time to get a bit worried, and then efficiently whisks away the cloth and reveals the completed trick.  Independent clause: independent clause that explains or summarizes the prior independent clause

Examples  This much is clear, Watson: it was the baying of an enormous hound.  Tom has only one rule in life: never eat anything bigger than your head.

Common Usage #3  The “ah” pause  Example  I loved Starbursts as a child: no one else did.  (I loved Starbursts as a child – ah, but nobody else did.)

Common Usage #4  Introduce a part of a sentence that exemplifies, restates, elaborates, undermines, explains, or balances the preceding part.  Independent clause: list

Examples  Please bring the following: bread, rice, and milk.  Clearly the student was engaged: he had his eyes open and his pencil moving.  The literary terms were very interesting to follow: they taught much about the book.

 I find fault with only three things in this essay of yours: the beginning, the middle, and the end.

Common Usage #5  Another way to introduce direct quotations.  Independent clause: “Quoted words”

Examples  George made a great point: “I think you should keep your mouth shut!”  The Allies brought many tanks with them: “They brought over 10,000 tanks into France during D-Day.”  Despite the fact that she was tired, she spoke: “I know that today was a difficult day, but we will make it through to the weekend.”

Common Error  Separating the verb from its direct object (what the verb “does”)  Wrong: Please bring: milk, eggs, and butter  Correct: Please bring the following: milk, eggs, and butter.

Super Hint!!!  A colon can be used if the sentence reads (or could read) The following… As follows...  Examples I will bring the following with me: coats, hats, and scarves. I know that I have them (the following): the coats, hats, and scarves. George knows that he must do the deed (the following deed): kill his friend.

Correct These!  Take this lesson to heart nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.  One word probably sums up the responsibility of any governor “to be prepared.”  I have lived in three places Florida, Maine, and Vermont.  The little boy in E.T. did say something neat “How do you explain school to a higher intelligence.”

Correct These!  Take this lesson to heart nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.  One word probably sums up the responsibility of any governor “to be prepared.”  I have lived in three places Florida, Maine, and Vermont.  The little boy in E.T. did say something neat “How do you explain school to a higher intelligence.”