Quick help: Colons

The following sentences use colons correctly. Need more help? Follow the links.

Correct example sentence: The important items in a camping safety kit include the following: an antiseptic, athletic tape, water treatment pills, a compass, and a long-lasting flashlight.

Get help with colon to introduce a list.

Correct example sentence: The department decided to endorse a single goal: to pursue a family-friendly work environment.

Get help with colon to introduce an appositive.

Correct example sentence: Benjamin Franklin's advice for procrastinators still rings true today: “Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today.”

Get help with colon to introduce a quotation.

Correct example sentence: Generally, for cooking white rice, the ratio of water to rice should be 2:1.

Get help with conventional uses of colons.

Also see Unnecessary colons.

Exercise: The colon, the semicolon, and the comma