Language Center Program, Writing Tips
Volunteer State Community College | Division of Humanities
Use a colon when the information that follows it is a list, quotation, or a description (i.e., a renaming) of the information to the left of the colon. In order to use a colon correctly, the material to the LEFT of the colon must be a complete sentence.
Examples
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Tom and Betty bought the following items at the store: milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and chocolate.
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Teenagers often ignore the words of Ben Franklin: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
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Beverly thought she knew what she wanted in a husband: The man she'd marry would be tall, handsome, and wealthy.
(The second sentence describes "husband.")
