Using a Colon | Grade 9 - Week 3, Lesson 3

 The colon ( : ) and semicolon ( ; ) are frequently used incorrectly in place of each other. The two punctuation marks serve very different purposes, and should not be used interchangeably.

COLON

A colon is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles.

Emphasis—Capitalise the first word after the colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. (She had one love: Guyana, land of many waters.)

Dialogue—Write the speaker's name, followed by a colon and his or her statement. (Reporter: What is the Golden Arrow of Achievement? Dunn: It is a General Award and Guyana's fourth-highest award, to ‘any citizen of Guyana who has performed an outstanding and specific act of service or achievement of an exceptional nature'.)

Introduce lists, text or tabular material—Capitalise the first word after the colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. (Our future is dependent on three things: sustainability, diversity, and enhancing our strength and health.) Notice that the word "sustainability" did not begin with a capital letter, because the sentence it started is not a complete sentence.

The first part of the sentence must always be an independent clause; that is, it must stand alone as a complete thought with a subject and verb. Do not use a colon after phrases like such as or for example.

Correct: Our company offers many publishing services: writing, editing, and reviewing.

Incorrect: Our company offers many publishing services, such as: writing, editing, and reviewing.

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. (I recommend that you read "The Guyana Story: From Earliest Times to Independence", by Odeen Ishmael) 

In a letter's salutation, or forwarding address - The colon (:) is another punctuation mark used to indicate a full stop. You can also use a colon after the greeting/address information in business letters and memos. 

e.g 1 - Dear Hiring Manager:

e.g 2 - To: Human Resources

e.g 3 - From: Deanna Dean

More examples:

Don’t give up: you never know what tomorrow brings.
Here, the colon separates a complete sentence "Don't give up", and the second part of the sentence. The second part, after the colon is just phrase that adds extra information to the first part.

Allow me to introduce myself: I am the greatest ice-carver in the world.
In this example the colon is now separating two complete sentences of equal importance. The colon is used almost like a full stop - it makes the reader pause - however, it does not end the sentence.

Where I come from there are three ways to get to the grocery store: by car, by bus, and by foot.
This is a classic listing example. The first part of the sentence and the second, are related. The list of things that come after the colon just helps to expand the sentence by giving examples. 

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