When do use colon

Rule 1b. A capital letter generally does not introduce a word, phrase, or incomplete sentence following a colon. Examples: He got what he worked for: a promotion. He got what he worked for: a promotion that paid a higher wage. Rule 2. Avoid using a colon before a list if it directly follows a verb or preposition that would ordinarily need no punctuation in that sentence. Not recommended: I want: butter, sugar, and flour.

Recommended: I want butter, sugar, and flour. OR Here is what I want: butter, sugar, and flour. Not recommended: I've seen the greats, including: Barrymore, Guinness, and Streep. Recommended: I've seen the greats, including Barrymore, Guinness, and Streep. Rule 3. When listing items one by one, one per line, following a colon, capitalization and ending punctuation are optional when using single words or phrases preceded by letters, numbers, or bullet points.

If each point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word and end the sentence with appropriate ending punctuation. Otherwise, there are no hard and fast rules, except be consistent. Examples: I want an assistant who can do the following: input data write reports complete tax forms. The following are requested: Wool sweaters for possible cold weather.

Wet suits for snorkeling. Introductions to the local dignitaries. These are the pool rules: Do not run. If you see unsafe behavior, report it to the lifeguard. Did you remember your towel?

Have fun! Rule 4. Our future is dependent on three things: sustainability, diversity, and enhancing our strength and health. Clarify the titles of books, lectures and other compositions —Use a colon in titles that express two parallel ideas.

The words on either side of the colon should be able to stand on their own. A semicolon has two general uses: to clarify a series and to indicate two closely related sentences. Series —If one or more elements in a series contain a comma, use semicolons to separate them. Include a semicolon before the final conjunction. Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

To introduce a quote Similarly, a colon may introduce a quote that comes after an independent clause. The colon emphasizes the coming quote. A colon can be used to introduce a list. In general, the portion of sentence before the colon should be a complete sentence it should contain a subject and a verb. Phrases like the following may sometimes be used to signal an introduction to a list.

The list offers further explanation. Get started now for free! For the most part, however, you do not need to capitalize after a colon. You do not need to capitalize after a colon if what follows the colon is a list:. Allow the meaning of the sentence to help guide the decision to use a colon, comma, or a semicolon in a sentence. Both a semicolon and colon link independent clauses together, so you may be confused about when to use which.