A colon consists of two dots, one above the other:

When?

• Colons are used to draw the readers attention to what it is introducing.

• Colons are used after independent clauses(complete sentences).

Purpose?

• To introduce…– A list coming at the end of a sentence.

• Several Majors interest me: biology, chemistry, and art.

– Appositives. (nouns or noun phrases that appear right after the word they rename)

• She shared with me her favorite toys: a spatula and a pot lid.

– Quotations.

• He said the dreaded words: “Let’s just be friends.”

• Also use a colon when a second closely related independent clause elaborates on the first one.

– I can predict tonight’s sequence of events: my brother will arrive late, talk loudly, and eat too much.

In this case, the colon is used to emphasize the second clause.

Note: If the second sentence is a complete sentence, you may use either a lower case or capital letter but must remain consistent throughout your document.

Other uses?

• Colons are used in salutations in business documents:

– Dear Mr. Worth: To:• To indicate ratios:

– The ratio of armed to unarmed members of the gang was 3:1.

• Times of the day:

– He woke up at 6:30 in the morning.

• For city and publisher citations in bibliographies:

– New York:McGraw-Hill, 2007.

• To separate titles and subtitles:

– Possible Lives: The promise of Public Education in America.

Do not use• After such as, for example, or including:

– I am ready for a change, such as: a trip to the Bahamas or a move to another town.

• Between a verb and its object or its complement:– The elements of a smoothie are: yogurt fresh fruit, and honey.

• Between a preposition and its object or objects:– Many feel that cancer can be prevented by a diet of: fruit,

nuts, and vegetables.

• More than one colon in a sentence:– He was taken in by a new con: the Spanish lottery scam: victims

are told they have won a big prize and asked to send financial information to a fake Spanish company.

FYI

• Colons are used to separate biblical chapters and verses (John 3:16), but the MLA format recommends using a period instead (John 3.16).