by Jennie Ruby
Since I discussed semicolons last week, I must this week give the colon its due. There is nothing semi about the colon. The colon is a full stop. Full stop is, of course, the British word for that other important punctuation mark, the period. And just like a period, a colon should be placed only after a full sentence.
Because the colon is used to introduce things, many of us are tempted to use it when the first, incomplete half of a sentence introduces a list, like this:
Because the colon is used to introduce things, many of us are tempted to use it when the first, incomplete half of a sentence introduces a list, like this:
- My favorite fruits are: blackberries, strawberries, and bananas.
The colon does not belong in this sentence, because "My favorite fruits are" is not a complete sentence. You would not put a period after are, and likewise, you cannot put a colon after are. The word are is perfectly capable of introducing the list by itself. The same is true of the words include, were, and contained, as in these sentences:
- My specialties include baking pies, creating salads, and barbequing ribs.
- The foods at the party were fried chicken, baked beans, and banana pudding.
- The basket contained biscuits, rolls, and sliced bread.
As for using the colon correctly, if I know my readers, you have already noticed that I have used two colons to introduce sample sentences. Both of those colons are at the end of complete sentences. Here are some more examples of colons concluding sentences and simultaneously introducing lists:
- There were several green vegetables on offer at the open-air market: bok choy, cabbage, lettuce, and chives.
- Many foods evoke spring: asparagus, water cress, strawberries, fresh spinach.
Of course, introducing lists is not the only job of the colon. It can also introduce explanations and examples. More on that next time. By the way, that last example contained an asyndeton. Stay tuned for what that is all about.
About the Author: Jennie Ruby is a veteran IconLogic trainer and author with titles such as "Essentials of Access 2000" and "Editing with MS Word 2003 and Adobe Acrobat 7" to her credit. Jennie specializes in electronic editing. At the American Psychological Association, she was manager of electronic publishing and manager of technical editing and journal production. Jennie has an M.A. from George Washington University and is a Certified Technical Trainer (Chauncey Group). She is a publishing professional with 20 years of experience in writing, editing and desktop publishing.
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