1. 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.

He will be the winner of Loughborough's oldest award: the Arthur Scotland
Trophy. 
Ian had caught 3 fish: a perch and 2 gudgeon.

No one believed Janice: she often exaggerated.
 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" or, as it is also known, 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 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 lesson "Extend a Sentence")
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