How Do You Use Colons In A Sentence?
Colons (:) are infrequently used and as a result, many people are confused by them. The rules here will show you how to use colons properly in your writing. Use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce a related list: I went to the store and bough many items: milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and beef. Use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce a related phrase: All the guest speakers’ stories had one common theme: the value of getting an education. Use a colon after a complete sentence to introduce a quotation: In “Holy Sonnet XIV”, John Donne uses violent imagery to describe the experience of God: “batter my heart, three-personed God.” Use a colon to separate parts of a title: Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope or Field Mice: A Survey of their Habitats and Mating Patterns.
