Colons
The main use of a colon (:) is to introduce whatever
follows. A colon can be used to introduce a list or an appositive at
the end of a sentence. (Appositive: another description or name for
something previously mentioned in the sentence.)
Examples:
The following were absent: Charles, Smith, Wainwright and Dodds.
  
appositive
of "the following"
His influence
is obvious in two buildings: the local church and pavilion.
appositive
of "two buildings"
Colons are also used in ratios (e.g., 2:1), times (e.g., 8:20) and reference
numbers in books (e.g., Paragraph 1:17).
See also:
Glossary of grammatical terms
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