Colons (Continued)
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Colons (Continued)
In this blog, I’d like to help you with other uses of the colon.
Rule 4: It’s often useful to use a colon instead of a semicolon between two sentences when the second sentence explains or illustrates the first sentence and no coordinating conjunction is being used to connect the sentences. If only one sentence follows the colon, it is usually unnecessary to capitalize the first word of the new sentence. If two or more sentences follow the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence following.
Examples:
I enjoy reading: novels by Kurt Vonnegut are among my favorites.
Garlic is used in Italian cooking: It greatly enhances the flavor of pasta dishes. It also enhances the flavor of eggplant.
Rule 5: Use a colon to introduce a long direct quotation. In this situation, many writers leave a blank line above and below the quoted material and single space the long quotation. Quotation marks are not used.
Example:
The author of Touched, Jane Straus, wrote in the first chapter:
Georgia went back to her bed and stared at the intricate patterns of burned moth wings in the translucent glass of the overhead light. Her father was in “hyper mode” again. Nothing could calm him down.
He’d been talking nonstop for a week about remodeling projects, following her around the house as she tried to escape his chatter. He was just about to crash, she knew.
Rule 6: Use the colon to follow the salutation of a business letter even when addressing someone by his or her first name. Never use a semicolon after a salutation. For personal correspondence, use a comma after the salutation.
Example: Dear Ms. Rodriguez:
Pop Quiz
1A. Dear Mr. Ang;
1B. Dear Mr. Ang:
2A. The noise from the car collision suggested injuries: One of the drivers was taken to the emergency room with a broken arm. The other walked away from the accident scene with just a few scratches.
2B. The noise from the car collision suggested injuries: one of the drivers was taken to the emergency room with a broken arm. The other walked away from the accident scene with just a few scratches.
Pop Quiz Answers
1B. Dear Mr. Ang:
2A. The noise from the car collision suggested injuries: One of the drivers was taken to the emergency room with a broken arm. The other walked away from the accident scene with just a few scratches.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Is it incorrect to connect two sentences that follow a colon with a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon, or should I just leave the pair of sentences separated with an ending punctuation mark?
Example:
They operated their small diner in an orderly fashion: the men cooked the food, and the women served it.
OR
They operated their small diner in an orderly fashion: the men cooked the food, and the women served it.
Also, if these methods are correct, should the word “the,” before “men,” remain lowercased?
Your examples are both correct. Congratulations! Capitalizing the word “the” is optional because the colon is followed by only one sentence. If more than one sentence follows the colon, capitalize the first word of each sentence.
Example: They operated their small diner in an orderly fashion: The men cooked the food. The women served it.
If one sentence succeeds a colon, meaning this sentence should not be capitalized, but then a new paragraph begins, should the sentence following the colon in the previous paragraph actually be capitalized?
If the sentence following the colon is the final sentence in a paragraph, it need not be capitalized unless the writer elects to do so.
Where does the question mark go when you have a question that involves information in a paragraph introduced by a colon? Here is an example of what I’m thinking about:
——————————————————–
Bob, what do you think about how Churchill’s beginning of the following speech:
I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone.
—————————————–
Where does the question mark go?
I believe a straightforward solution would be to place the question mark after the word speech, thus eliminating the use of the colon. I would also recommend a slight rewording of the sentence and use of a block quotation for clarity.
Bob, what do you think about the beginning of Churchill’s speech?
The use of a colon to introduce a formal quotation is confusing because “formal quotation” is not defined. The example above is the best I’ve seen, but it still leaves me wondering what constitutes formal? When would I use a comma versus a colon? Is it a gray area? Does the writer determine if the quote is formal or is there a clear rule (one that doesn’t only use examples of formal quotes, whatever they are)?
Thanks in advance!
A formal quotation would be words quoted directly from another source, as opposed to words that the writer paraphrased. A useful guideline is to use a comma before short quotations (one sentence) and a colon for long quotations or quotations of two or more sentences.
(1) On your Web site, “Colons,” Rule 5 states, “A colon may be used to introduce a long quotation.” So when is a quotation “long”?
(2) Is dropping quoted material down a line and indenting it (as declared by the rule that I referenced previously) mandatory, or can the quote just follow the colon on the same line as it would a comma?
(3) “Quotation Marks,” Rule 6 seems to conflict with “Colons,” Rule 5 (in fact, you even used quotation marks AFTER the colon in the provided example). Can you distinguish the difference for me, please?
Thanks in advance!
(1) There is no absolute definition of a long quotation. The Modern Language Association says, “For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks.” The American Psychological Association says, “Place direct quotations that are 40 words, or longer, in a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks.” It is up to the writer to decide what constitutes a long quotation.
(2) As you can see from (1), while there is no absolute definition of “free-standing block,” the quotations should start on a new line. Whether you add an extra space above and below the quotation is up to you. We do recommend indenting the quotation, either on the left margin only or on both the left and right margins.
(3) Rule 5 of “Colons” is intended to apply to passages quoted from other sources such as fiction or nonfiction works, journals, textbooks, etc. (The Associated Press Stylebook recommends using a colon rather than a comma to introduce a quote of two sentences or more.) Rule 6 of “Quotation Marks” is intended to apply to dialogue, where differentiation between speakers is important.
Is it okay to use colons in dialogue? And do you start a new paragraph for each speaker? Do you leave a space?
ie
Tom: she’ll be back in a minute.
Jane: I can’t stick around.
Tom: just wait a minute.
Jane: don’t tell her I was here, I gotta go now. Later.
We assume you are writing a script for a play or similar composition. The format you used is acceptable for dialogue in that case. Begin a new paragraph for each speaker, leave one space after the colon, and don’t forget to capitalize the first word in the script content.
Is a colon the correct choice for this sentence: A question: If I pay early do I get the discounted premium?
Placed in a formal context, we recommend: I have a question: If I pay early, do I get the discounted premium?