Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What Are Colons and How Do You Use Them
What Are Colons and How Do You Use Them
thesaurus.com/e/grammar/how-do-you-use-a-colon
What is a colon?
A colon is a punctuation mark that is used to divide a sentence. The colon resembles two
dots positioned vertically (:). The colon has a variety of uses, some of which include
introducing a list, introducing an explanation, introducing a quote, and connecting two
related sentences.
A list: I need several things from the store: eggs, milk, and bread.
1/3
A noun or noun phrase: The weapon to defeat the beast was something nobody
expected: love.
A quote: My dad told me something I will never forget: “Pineapple on pizza is an
abomination.”
In the example above, we can see that the second sentence is closely related to the one
that came before it. If we had used a period instead, the sentences would seem more
distant and we would lose the relationship.
This particular usage is similar to how another punctuation mark, the semicolon, is used.
In general, the semicolon is also used to connect related sentences. However, there is a
slight difference in how these two punctuation marks are typically used. In general, the
two sentences connected by a semicolon are less specifically related to each other than
those connected by a colon. The sentence following a semicolon may not describe or
explain the previous sentence.
Here is an example showing the difference how colon and semicolons are generally used:
Colon: Jeremy raised a very important question: who had invited us all to the
spooky house? (The second sentence clarifies the first sentence by revealing what
Jeremy’s question was.)
Semicolon: Jeremy raised a very important question; it was a question nobody
thought to ask. (These two sentences are related, but the second sentence doesn’t
explain or clarify the first.)
Learn all the ins and outs of using a semicolon correctly, here.
Other uses
There are a few other instances where you might see a colon used. These uses are based
more on formatting or style guides rather than grammar. Some non-grammatical uses of
colons include:
2/3
Colons typically follow a complete sentence
Regardless of what follows a colon, most grammar resources agree that only a complete
sentence should come before it. For example,
Incorrect: I have a lot of stuff in my closet, including: hats, toys, and even a guitar.
Correct: I have a lot of stuff in my closet: hats, toys, and even a guitar.
Get grammar tips, writing tricks, and more from Thesaurus.com ... right in your inbox!
Capitalization
The rules of capitalization following a colon depend on which style guide or grammar
resource you use. Most style guides (such as the American Psychological Association’s)
recommend a general rule: If a complete sentence follows a colon, use a capital letter.
(While we’ve just demonstrated how to do this correctly, please note Dictionary.com and
Thesaurus.com lowercase after a colon in almost all instances per our own style
guidelines.)
I am afraid of almost anything: mice, bugs, heights, you name it. (sentence
fragment)
Through all of our adventures, we learned one important thing: Never take advice
from mischievous imps! (complete sentence)
We have been to many countries: France, Spain, Russia, Japan, and Brazil, just to
name a few. (proper noun)
3/3