Colon between independent clauses

A colon can be used between independent clauses if the second clause summarizes or explains the first.

Example sentence: Faith is like love: It cannot be forced.

Example sentence: We looked forward to our summer vacation in Nova Scotia: It was our chance to get out of the city and experience country life.

An independent clause following a colon may begin with an uppercase or a lowercase letter. The Modern Language Association (MLA) and the Chicago Manual of Style recommend lowercase; the American Psychological Association (APA) recommends uppercase. Check with your instructor for the preference in your discipline.

Exercise: The colon, the semicolon, and the comma