Common uses of the colon

a list

The daily exercise routine should include at least the following: ten minutes of stretching, forty abdominal crunches, and a twenty-minute run.

an appositive

My roommate seems to live on two things: Twizzlers and Twitter.

a quotation

Consider the words of Benjamin Franklin: “There never was a good war or a bad peace.”

a summary or an explanation

Faith is like love: It cannot be forced.

The novel is clearly autobiographical: The author even gives his own name to the main character.

salutation in a letter

Dear Editor:

hours and minutes

5:30 p.m.

proportions

The ratio of women to men was 2:1.

title and subtitle

The Glory of Hera: Greek Mythology and the Greek Family

bibliographic entries

Boston: Bedford, 2013

chapter and verse in sacred text

Luke 2:14, Qur’an 67:3