Regular visitors to my blog may have noticed that I love colons, semicolons, and dashes. I sneak them in wherever and whenever possible. And no, I’m not ready to attend Punctuators Anonymous meetings. Instead, I am going to celebrate my adoration with a brief how-to series. We’ll kick things off with an explanation of how to use colons in six ways: (1) introduce run-in lists, (2) introduce vertical lists, (3) connect closely related sentences, (4) introduce quotations, (5) conclude formal greetings, and (6) connect main titles with subtitles.
1. Use Colons to Introduce Run-in Lists
A colon can preface a run-in list when the introduction is a complete sentence.1
If you’re going to visit Chicago this summer, you should bring several things: comfortable shoes, beachwear, sunscreen, and parking money.
A colon can also preface a run-in list when the introductory sentence ends with a transition word or phrase such as as follows.2 However, this technique isn’t accepted by all style guides, so please consult your style guide or in-house guide before following the example below. In addition, this technique can sound a bit stuffy when paired with less formal content, so I recommend using it sparingly.
Chicago’s most famous foods are as follows: pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef sandwiches.
2. Use Colons to Introduce Vertical Lists
A colon can preface a vertical list when the introduction is a complete sentence.3
To perform an at-home pedicure, you will need five items:
1. Nail clipper
2. Nail file
3. Polish
4. Polish remover
5. Toes
3. Use Colons to Connect Closely Related Sentences
A colon can emphasize dependency between two closely related sentences.4
Wilma was upset with Fred for spending too much time at the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes lodge: she needed him to fix the woolly mammoth vacuum cleaner, but he was never home.
Elaine couldn’t decide what to wear: Should she wear jeans? Or, should she wear dress pants?
Further Reading: “Should You Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence Following a Colon?”
4. Use Colons to Introduce Run-in Quotations
A colon can preface a run-in quotation when the introduction is a complete sentence.5
The cheerful waiter approached the crowded table: “Can I bring you any dessert or coffee?”
Further Reading: “How to Introduce Run-in Quotations”
5. Use Colons to Introduce Block Quotations
A colon can preface a block quotation when the introduction is a complete sentence or a sentence ending with a transition word or phrase such as as follows.6
The blog post titled “What is Parallel Structure” defined the topic for readers:
Parallel structure, also called parallel construction and parallelism, is a method of formatting written elements so that they correspond to each other structurally. Parallel structure can be applied to any closely related elements; however, it is most often applied to headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, lists in sentences, and tightly coupled phrases or sentences.
The blog post titled “What is Parallel Structure” defined the topic as follows:
Parallel structure, also called parallel construction and parallelism, is a method of formatting written elements so that they correspond to each other structurally. Parallel structure can be applied to any closely related elements; however, it is most often applied to headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, lists in sentences, and tightly coupled phrases or sentences.
Further Reading: “Block Quotations, Part 1: How to Introduce Block Quotations”
6. Use Colons to Conclude Formal Salutations
A colon, rather than a comma, indicates that your salutation is formal and adheres to traditional correspondence conventions.7
Dear Mr. President:
Further Reading: “How to Punctuate Salutations in Emails and Letters”
7. Use Colons to Connect Main Titles with Subtitles
A colon can connect the main title with a subtitle when referencing a combined title in a sentence or a citation.8
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
Next time we’ll tackle the colon’s fancier cousin, the semicolon.
References
1. Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 6.61; Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 6.5, 6.50–6.52.
2. Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 748; and Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 6.64.
3. Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 6.130; Publishing Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 6.51–6.52.
4. Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 747–48; Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 6.61; Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 6.5.
5. Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 748; MLA Handbook, 9th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2021), 6.49.
6. Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 13.16; MLA Handbook, 9th ed. (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2021), 6.35, 6.49; Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 8.27.
7. Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 748; Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 6.66.
8. Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016), 748; Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 8.165.
Updated January 16, 2022
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