How and When to Use a COLON

What is a clause?

A group of related words that contain both a subject and a verb.

What is a independent clause?

A group of words that can stand on their own as a sentence, and a sentence that has a subject, a verb, and is a complete thought.

After the salutation (greeting) of a business letter

Dear Senator Harkin:

Use a colon to introduce a list of items.

Example: Sixth grade students will take the following classes: language arts, math, science, history, PE, art, and tech ed.

Use a colon to introduce a long or formal quotation.

Example: The Eighth Amendment has the following wording: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

Use a colon between two independent clauses when the second explains the first or elaborates the first.

Example: Thurgood Marshall received valuable experience by working as legal counsel for the NAACP: He argued 32 civil-rights cases before the Supreme Court.

A colon is used to separate a title and a subtitle

Ghosts in the Attic: A Haunted House Story

ALERT: Do not use a colon directly after a verb!

Incorrect: Marshall believed the government should provide: education, legal services, and access to the courts. Correct: Marshall believed the government should provide these services: education, legal services, and access to the courts.

Use a colon for writing a Question and Answer (Q&A) document

Q: Did you strike him A: Indeed I did

Capitalization

capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the beginning of a new sentence He promised this: The company will....

A colon (:)

is used after a word introducing a quotation, an explanation, an example, or a series

Use a colon for the DIALOGUE in a play or when writing out a conversation.

John: Hello Jane: How are you

To separate hours from minutes

Our soccer game starts at 7:30.

To show ratios

Pour in the milk and water at a 3:1 ratio

To separate chapter and verse in scripture such as the Bible, the Qur'an (Koran), and the Talmud.

The Sunday School class studied Matthew 4:10

To introduce the effect, or logical consequence of an action.

There was only one way he could win: He had to cheat.

Emphasis

colons can be useful to emphasize He had only one hobby: singing

Use a colon to indicate a specific amount of time, time of day, religious text, or legal code

time elapsed (1:32:34) time of day (5:22 am) biblical and legal citations (Matthew 10:23, Missouri code 3:245-384)