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 ...