Extend a Sentence with a Colon
You can use a colon to introduce words that offer a more detailed version of something previously mentioned in the sentence.
Examples:
 The cat's fur was found in two rooms: the bedroom and the kitchen.
His success is attributed to one thing: determination.
It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either.
(Mark Twain)
He will be the winner of Loughborough's oldest award: the Arthur Scotland
Trophy.
Ian had caught 3 fish: a perch and 2 gudgeon.
Janice
liked to talk: she often exaggerated.
(When a slight break is preferable to a new sentence, use a semicolon not a
colon. Remember, a colon introduces an idea previously mentioned in the
sentence.)
I have made
an important discovery: alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, produces all
the effects of intoxication.
(Oscar Wilde)
In this
world there are only two tragedies: one is not getting what one wants, and the
other is getting it.
(Oscar Wilde)
should
be ...party; she was determined...
or ...party. She was determined...
(joke on a beer mat)
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IT'S JUST LIKE AN EQUALS SIGN
Many people like to think of the colon as an equals sign. In the examples
to the left:
two rooms = bedroom and kitchen
one thing = determination
the oldest award = the Authur Scotland Trophy
The phrase after the colon is an 'equal phrase'. It is also known as an 'appositive phrase' to something mentioned before the colon.
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NOT A COLON
When a slight break is preferable to new sentence, you should use a semicolon and not
a colon.
John fumbled for the keyhole: the street lights had failed again.
No one was seriously hurt in the accident; one man broke his index
finger.
See the lesson Extend a Sentence.
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