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Using Colons
This Page Includes...
The Quick Answer
The colon has four uses:(1) To extend a sentence in order to identify something previously mentioned in the sentence.
- I demand one personal trait: discipline.
- I have seen the following: ants, a cockroach, and a rat.
- Read Genesis 1:1 before 07:30.
- He said: "Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect."
More about Using Colons
Colons (:) are quite versatile. It is worth learning how to use them — especially how colons allow you to expand on an idea previously mentioned in the sentence. (If you can master this idea, you'll have a useful tool in your writing toolkit.)(1) Using Colons to Extend a Sentence

Usually, the information on the right is an expansion of whatever is mentioned on the left. For example:
- He blamed his divorce on one thing: beer.
- There are two reasons why I don't believe the alibi: there is no visa in his passport, and he is petrified of flying.
- I have made an important discovery: alcohol, taken in sufficient quantities, produces all the effects of intoxication.
(Playwright Oscar Wilde)
(discovery = the alcohol idea)
(2) Using Colons after Introductions

- The Victorian printing set is missing the following characters: Q, R, K, and the question mark.
-
He voted for the following films:
(1) Jaws
(2) The Princess Bride
(3) Shawshank Redemption
Read more about colons for introductions
Read more about using bullet points
(3) Using Colons in References and Times

- I am currently reading "How To Get Your Own Way: Who's Manipulating You?".
- Genesis 1:1 starts "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- 07:30 - Breakfast
08:30 - Meet at the lake and prepare the kayaks
09:00 - Select teams
(Colons used as a separator in times.)
(4) Using Colons with Quotation Marks

- It's hard to disagree with Frank Zappa, who said: "Art is making something out of nothing and selling it."
Read more about colons before quotations
More Resources to Help with Colons
Here is a video summarizing this lesson on colons:A Slide Show Explaining Colons
Here is a six-slide presentation explaining how to use colons:Help Us Improve Grammar Monster
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