How to Use a Colon

The colon is typically used to introduce something that follows, such as a list or a quotation. The following guidelines will help you know how to use this mark of punctuation correctly.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dictionaries
• Notebook Papers
• Pens
• Computers
• Word-processing Software

1. Use a colon to connect two parts of a sentence, especially if the second part is an amplification of the first. A colon marks a discontinuity in a sentence with more force than a comma or semicolon. For example, "He had always wanted to travel to Italy: When he was six his best friend moved to Venice."

2. In practice, however, a semicolon is used more often than a colon in the above construction, so use the colon sparingly.

3. Use a colon after a statement that introduces a list. For example, "We will discuss the following Irish towns: (1) Cork, (2) Galway, and (3) Dublin."

4. Do not use the colon, however, if the introduction is not a complete sentence and one of the items in the list is needed to complete the thought. For example, "While in Norway they visited (1) Oslo, (2) Lillehammer, and (3) Trondheim."

5. Use a colon to introduce a quotation or a formal statement. For example, "I have one rule: Always bring chocolate treats when you visit my house."

6. Use a colon after the salutation when writing a formal letter. For example, "Dear Dr. Seuss:"

7. Similarly, use the colon after a speaker's introductory remarks, as in "Madame President, Ladies and Gentlemen:"

8. Use a colon in expressions of time, such as 4:30 p.m.

Tips & Warnings

• When a colon follows quoted matter, the colon goes outside the quotation marks. For example, "There were three people to whom he sang 'The Girl From Ipanema': his mother, his sister and his best friend."

• If a colon is followed by a complete sentence, capitalize the first word after the colon. For example, "While in Venice, he did something he had never done before: He took a gondola ride."

• Colons also pop up a lot in bibliographies and in citations in academic material. For all the gory details, consult whichever reference book your instructor or publisher recommends that you use.