Rhetoric and Composition/Colons
Colons are used to draw attention to certain words. They are used after an independent clause to direct attention to a list, appositive or quotation, between independent clauses when the second clause summarizes or emphasizes the first clause, or after the greeting in a formal letter. Some examples follow.
Case | Example | Note |
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List |
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Appositive |
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? | There was only one possible explanation: The train had never arrived. | |
Quotation | In the words of Homer: "Doh!" | |
Between independent clauses | Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get. | |
Introduction of a definition | Hypernym of a word: a word having a wider meaning than the given one. | Is a special case of appositive. |
After salutation | Dear Sir or Madam: | |
In a dialogue | Patient: Doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains. Doctor: Pull yourself together! |
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Separation of title from subtitle | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | |
Separation of the chapter and the verse numbers of religious scriptures |
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Separation within time of the day |
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Case | Example | Note |
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Between a verb and its object |
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By omitting the colon, the example becomes correct. |
Between a preposition and its object | My cars of choice consist of: Honda Accord and Ford GT. | By omitting the colon, the example becomes correct. |
After "such as", "including" or "for example" |