There is a general rule that colons are not to be used after a linking verb, a preposition or expressions such as such as, like, and for example, as the sentence is able to continue without the colon. It was first coined as a term by the ancient greeks, although it meant a passage of text or a complete thought rather than the mark that they began to add to the text to distinguish the section. A colon is a punctuation mark that can be used to introduce a series of items in a list. It occasionally acts as a standin for a comma or period though when one of these other punctuation marks will do, the colon is unnecessary. Making use of the semicolon, the colon and the dash 37 v. It is also sometimes used in place of the ratio symbol. The baseball coach claimed that his teams success stemmed from three things. Colons and semicolons should never be used interchangeably. Punctuation can be one of the weirdest, most confusing parts of writing. If you have trouble deciding when to use a colon in your writing, it helps to ask yourself if a period or question mark would be appropriate in the same location. Follow these 6 basic punctuation rules and they will help you to write more clearly and effectively.
Under semicolon, the book says, its main role is to indicate a. The colon is like a sign on the highway, announcing that something important is coming. To insert a colon on a traditional american keyboard, press shift and the colonsemicolon key beside the l. I was speaking with a friend about punctuationwhat odd topics writers and editors end up discussingand the use of semicolons in fiction came up while a legitimate punctuation mark, the semicolon has been shunned for use in fiction, especially for dialogue. When a target appears in multiple rules, all the rules must be the same type. The act tests a specific set of punctuation rules, most of which deal with commas. A colon can be used to separate two independent clauses when a the second clause is directly related to the first clause not just vaguely related and b when the emphasis is on the second clause. If you have microsoft powerpoint pc or mac version installed on your computer, you can download the powerpoint presentation on the semicolon to the right and the colon to the.
A colon is also used between hours and minutes, titles and subtitles of books, city and publisher in bibliographies, in biblical citations between chapter and verse, and for salutations in business letters and other formal letter writing. A colon introduces an element or series of elements that illustrates or amplifies the information that preceded the colon. The colon is one of the most clearlydefined punctuation marks. Writing stack exchange is a question and answer site for the craft of professional writing, including fiction, nonfiction, technical, scholarly, and commercial writing. Use a colon to introduce an extended quotation whether youre writing an essay, a nonfiction book, or a blog post, therell be times when you want to quote someone else at some length more than a sentence or two.
Generally, you can think of a colon as a punctuation mark that anticipates something additional coming. This handout explains the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation. Thats because the colon signals that what comes next is directly related to the previous sentence. The first word after the colon is a proper noun see first example above the. You must have a complete sentence in front of a colon used to introduce a list within a sentence. Kurt vonneguts caution against the use of semicolons is one of the most famous and canonical pieces of writing advice, an admonition that has become, so to speak, one of the rules. It lengthens the pause or increases the distance between two clauses that could have been linked with a comma, making them both stand out. Thus, it is one of the most powerful punctuation marks. Do not capitalize the first item after the colon unless its a proper noun. If the following phrase is a complete independent clause, you may choose to capitalize it or not. What follows are some basics about three of the most powerful and most commonly misused punctuation marks. This means using a block quotation that goes in its own standalone paragraph.
Remembering the question mark and the exclamation mark 39. It could be argued that the colon is the oldest of all our punctuation marks. It can also be used after a formal greeting in a business letter, or to emphasize a point. The two punctuation marks serve very different purposes, and should not be used interchangeably. While you can also use a semicolon or a period between two independentyetrelated clauses, the colon is a little softer than the period, but a little harder than the semicolon. Select the pair of words between which the colon should be placed. Learn the rules of writing that the largest number of readers will recognize. Putting a comma between two independent clauses will confuse your readers and make your work frustrating to read. Include other punctuation only if it is part of the title or subtitle. When to use a colon in your writing professional writing. For extended quotations introduced by a colon, some style manuals say to indent onehalf inch on both the left and right margins. Follow our five rules of colon usage and youll be a master in no time.
My ten golden rules for writing a book that will never sell. More on pacing and the semicolon the semicolon is harder than the comma. On semicolons and the rules of writing the millions. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. The first part of the sentence must always be an independent clause. Use a colon to introduce an item or a series of items. Colons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar and.
The colon tells the reader that the writer is about to introduce a quote. If the sentence is already complete, you may use a colon to add a list. Prohibited punctuation in fiction the editors blog. Click on the movie icon to the left to watch a poormans animated exercise on uses of the colon. How to use semicolons in fiction writing louise harnby. Colon academic writing in english, lund university. While colons might look similar to semicolons, they have their own distinct usage. Semicolons, colons, and parentheses purdue writing lab. Use a colon to introduce an item or list, if the list comes after a complete sentence. On the other hand, a wellplaced semicolon can add nuance and subtlety to. And, as i demonstrate in the writing of this paragraph, punctuation marks showcase your facility with the language.
If you accidentally click on the wrong button, simply click on the button you meant to select. More on these rules later, but first the infamous quote in question. There are five key rules for colon usage that should always be followed. Home writing center use a colon to signal a series of words, phrases, or clauses after a complete sentence. Capitalization after a colon is a bit simpler if youre following the rules of apa style. Popular titles containing colons books showing 126 of 26 scorsese on scorsese paperback by. They are handled differently from ordinary rules when the same target appears in more than one rule. Looking for information about the correct way to use the colon. After reading the handout, you will be better able to decide when to use these forms of punctuation in your own writing. However, the act english section isnt writingits a multiple choice test, which means that every question has to have only one correct answer.
Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. I think the semicolon is more easily understood if it is defined in relation to the colon rather than to the comma. The colon can also be used to introduce a grammatically independent sentence. You can use a semicolon to join two closely related independent clauses. But rules are important and made to be followed, especially in academic writing. While others need hours and hours of practice and perfection every day. The hard and fast rule is that a colon must always follow a complete sentence. Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, or that is do not apply or are not appropriate. The punctuation marks comma, hyphen, colon, and period are used the way they would be used in a paragraph. In writing, colon punctuation is used for one thing. While a semicolon normally joins two independent clauses to signal a close connection between them, a colon does the job of directing you to the information following it.
For that reason, we will provide about the several points that you need to know of how the proper use of colon 1. Written english master the essentials of grammar, punctuation and spelling and write. In modern english writing, a colon follows an independent clause, and is then followed by something that answers or explains that clause a good way to think about colons is that they lead to more information or tell the reader that more details are coming in the sentence. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has a wonderful name for the colon. Doublecolon rules are rules written with instead of. However, if the words after the colon do comprise a complete sentence, then the first letter after the word should be capitalized. Do not, however, use a colon when the listed items are incorporated into the flow of the sentence. The words before a colon must comprise a complete sentence whereas the words after the colon do not need to. The semicolon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to remember what it does. The guide mandates that a capital letter follow a colon only in 2 circumstances. Is there a legitimate reason semicolons, or any punctuation, cant be used in fiction.
When to use commas, colons, semicolons, and dashes wordvice. Without knowing how to effectively use colons, a writer can end. David thompson shelved 1 time as titlescontainingcolons avg rating 4. The creepy voyeurism is starker when set off by the semicolon. Do this by clicking on the red button next to your choice. Unlike the use of commas to combine very short sentences, semicolons are used for combining relatively longer sentences. Others are very technical or need good writing habits. The colon can be used after the first word of a sentence or just before the final word of a sentence. If you have started writing a story or a book and you are desperate to get to bestseller status super fast, then keep reading. Use a colon to introduce an example or to further explain an idea presented in the first part of a sentence.
Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. The semicolon is often misused in technical writing. The group of words that comes before the semicolon should form a complete sentence, the group of words that comes after the semicolon should form a complete sentence, and the two sentences should share a close, logical connection. Do not use a colon after a sentence fragment, ever. Using a colon in a proper way can make your writing looks better and more satisfying. A colon is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or. A number of other punctuation marks are used less frequently, but still play important roles in english writing. A semicolon or colon joining two independent clauses signals a connection between them.
The colon has primarily three grammatical uses and several nongrammatical uses. I generally speak without any use of a colon or semicolon. A colon is basically a way of saying heres what i mean in punctuation. The colon is a punctuation mark consisting of two equally sized dots centered on the same vertical line.
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