Many times in my writing I have wondered when it is appropriate to use a colon in a sentence. In my personal reading I have seen colons used and wondered "Can you do that?" So for my "grammar spotlight" this week I wanted to do some research about colons and try to expand my punctuation knowledge.
A colon is most commonly used in writing to express or list items or objects. For example...
"For the over night activity this weekend you will need to bring personal items: a sleeping bag, a towel, sun screen, and insect repellent."
This puncuation allows for organized easy to read lists that can be detailed. The one rule however is to make sure that the colon is preceeded by a complete sentence.
The most beneficial rule for colons however, is using it to direct attention or introduce a quote. When using a quotation that is more than three lines long, it is correct to put add a blank line before and after the quote. By incorperating a colon into the quote introduction t will alow for neat sentence fluency.
There are more rules for colons, and iIf you would like to access more information please click here.
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